Himalayan Glaciers Melting Faster, Increasing Pakistani Water Stress

[hatrack]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is increasingly becoming a ‘water stressed’ country, as glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than in any other part of the world.

This was observed by Dr Ishfaq Ahmad, special adviser to the prime minister, in a recent presentation to the cabinet on “global warming, resultant melting of glaciers and implications for Pakistan.” Presently, large reservoir capacity of the country stood at 12.3 million acre feet (MAF), down from original capacity of 15.7 MAF due to silting, he told the cabinet.

Dr Ahmad said average annual Indus River System (IRS) inflow was 138 MAF, which had witnessed an increased variability between 97 and 172 MAF during 1961-2001. About 80 per cent of IRS inflow originates from melting of snow in Himalayas, he said.

EDIT

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Pakistan+%26+Sub-Continent&month=April2006&file=World_News20060424239.xml

[kestrel91316]

1. Relax, everybody. Global warming is junk science. There's plenty of water.