Glaciers in Hindu Kush Himalayas are melting at faster rates and they could lose up to 75 per cent of their volume by the end of this century, claimed researchers.

The researchers have warned severe flooding and water shortages for over 200 crore people who live downstream of the rivers originating from the Himalayas.

Flash floods and avalanches would become more common, if steps are not taken to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases drastically, said the researchers at International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Nepal’s Kathmandu city in a study report.

The melting of glaciers in Himalayas at faster rates would also cause shortage of fresh water for the people residing in the region and those living downstream of the 12 rivers that originate in the mountains, they added.

Global warming and climate change are the major reasons behind the faster melting of glaciers in the Himalayas. The public authorities in the region as well as the global community must take this issue seriously and act accordingly, opined many environmentalists.

Notably, the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, stretching 3,500 km from Afghanistan to Myanmar, contains the largest volume of ice outside the polar regions, with glaciers covering an area of approximately 1,00,000 square kms.