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Water

Each day, one of every two people on the planet quenches his thirst with water that originates in mountains. And as the world population swells to an estimated 9.6 billion by 2050, the worldwide demand for freshwater will continue to soar.

More than half of humanity relies on mountain freshwater for everyday life. The ten largest rivers originating in the Hindu Kush Himalayas alone supply water to over 1.35 billion people. Some of the world’s largest cities, including New York, Rio de Janeiro, Nairobi, Tokyo and Melbourne, are dependent on freshwater from mountains.

Climate change is already causing more than 600 glaciers to disappear, resulting in springs and rivers drying up. Greater frequency of extreme weather events, droughts and floods, including flash floods and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), are also expected to increase in mountains, causing imbalance between current water supply and demand.

Given the importance of mountain water resources worldwide, the careful management of mountain water resources is a global priority. Water management practices need to be adapted to different climatic zones, using locally adapted soil and water management techniques. Most importantly, watershed management must take into account the needs of all those who depend on mountain water, including those who have the greatest stake in preserving healthy mountain ecosystems – people who live in mountain areas themselves, who are often marginalized from the decision-making processes.

Water, ice, society, and ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

publication

A major assessment report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) reveals unprecedented and largely irreversible changes to the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region's glaciers, snow and permafrost due to global warming. The report, titled "Water, Ice, Society, and Ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HI-WISE)," maps the...

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Indigenous Peoples call for recognition of vital role in protecting mountain water towers

news

The International Network of Mountain Indigenous Peoples (INMIP), IIED and the Mountain Partnership secretariat organised a side event on "Protecting and restoring critical water related ecosystems in mountains: the role of Indigenous Peoples and biocultural territories". This was one of the few events held during the UN Water Conference on...

Call for proposals for the Business Incubator and Accelerator for Mountains and Islands, deadline extended to 7 June 2023

peak to peak

The June 2023 issue of Peak to Peak announces the extension of the deadline to submit proposals for grants to the Business Incubator and Accelerator for Mountains and Islands, now open until 7 June 2023. Top news stories cover a campaign by ICIMOD to raise awareness of the effects of...

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Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th UNGA, visits Utah Valley University, discusses sustainable mountain development

news

On 15–16 May 2023, the President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Csaba Kőrösi, visited the State of Utah in the United States of America, invited by Utah Valley University (UVU)'s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) and Department of History and Political...

Aqua Team for Sustainable Development

event

The two-week online course "Aqua Team for Sustainable Development" will be held on 8-19 May 2023, offering two lectures per day in English by high-level speakers from 15.00 to 17.30 CEST.

The first week of the course (8-12 May) will focus on academic and institutional topics (regulations, controls, sanitation and ecosystems)....

International Year of Mountains closing ceremony starts a new era for action

peak to peak

The May 2023 issue of Peak to Peak opens with a summary of the closing ceremony of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022. Top news stories cover the launch of a new joint publication on mountain tourism by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World...