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Glacier retreats in Teesta basin, India study says

27.06.2011

A study conducted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) in association with the Ahmedabad-based Space Application Centre of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has revealed glacier retreats in the Teesta basin (part of the Brahmaputra basin. According to the study in 1990, 34 glaciers once covered an area of 305 km2. But in 2004, the Teesta basin glacier was reduced by 4 km2 and 23 of the glaciers showed trends of retreat. The study, titled “Snow and Glaciers of the Himalayas”, aimed to find out the trend of the glaciers in the Indian Himalayan region over a period of four years from 2004-05 to 2007-08. According to experts, the loss of glacial cover may lead to dry rivers or floods in the area and, to prevent the retreat of glaciers, trees should be planted.