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.
IUCN engaging local communities to restore water flow in the Himalayan regionnewsAcross the Himalayan region in India springs are drying up, owing to changes in precipitation patterns and decline of the watershed’s forests. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with the support of mobile phone company Nokia, launched a project to restore water flow in the Balkila...
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"Himalaya Water Tower" Highscrapers to solve access to water?newsChinese designer/engineers Zhi Zheng, Hongchuan Zhao and Dongbai Song have put forth a tantalizing proposal that combines human scientific ingenuity with a practical, prescient vision for a sustainable future. The approximately 55,000 icy glaciers in the Himalayan region hold 40 percent of the world’s fresh water and together...
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China signs hydropower expertise deal with NepalnewsChina has signed a US$1.6 billion agreement to develop the 760-megawatt (MW) West Seti Project hydropower plant in Nepal. The deal marks the Asian giant's entry into a sector in the Himalayan nation — water and power — that has been dominated by India for years. Water-rich Nepal...
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United Nations General Assembly Resolution: Sustainable Mountain Development (2012)publicationResolution adopted by the General Assembly on Sustainable mountain development at the 66th Session. A/RES/66/205
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Retreating Ice Leaves Glacial Species On The RocksnewsThe rapid retreat of glaciers is one of the most visible signs of Earth’s changing climate, but the disappearance of the ice is altering far more than physical landscape. An analysis suggests that species that live in the streams and rivers that flow from melting glaciers could begin to vanish...
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Mountains, from "water towers" to towers of lifepeak to peakIssue 50 - Month 03 - Year 2012
It’s our planet’s most precious resource and our cities are powered by it: it’s water! And water comes from mountains. On 22 March 2012, the globe celebrated World Water Day. But how often do we really think about this marvel called... Download » |
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