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.
MP members call for attention to mountains and the cryosphere at the UN 2023 Water ConferencenewsMountains are the world's water towers – providing water to both people living in the mountains and to around 2 billion people living in connected lowland areas. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Target 6.6, recognize mountains' important role, calling for the protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems, including mountains,...
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Advancing sustainable mountain development: Water towers for people and the planet (UN 2023 Water Conference virtual side event)eventMountains are of paramount importance as the world's water towers – both for people in the mountains and for around 2 billion people living in connected lowland areas. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Target 6.6, recognise mountains' important role, calling for the protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems, including...
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Advancing sustainable mountain development recognized as a commitment of action ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conferencepeak to peakThe March 2023 issue of Peak to Peak highlights a commitment of action titled "Advancing sustainable mountain development and protecting the 'water towers' of the world" submitted by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference. Top news stories announce the call for applications for IPROMO 2023,... Download » |
Mountain studies: Understanding and managing mountains for people and naturepublicationKarakoram International University (KIU), Gilgit published a book (edited volume) entitled Mountain studies: Understanding and managing mountains for people and nature. The book was an outcome of a project under the U.S. – Pakistan University Partnerships Grants Program, funded by United States Government through the United States Educational Foundation in... Download » |
Italian MP member EV-K2 to monitor 7200 glaciers in PakistannewsAbout 7 200 glaciers in Pakistan will be monitored thanks to a project being led by the EV-K2 Association, an Italian member of the Mountain Partnership. The Italian-Pakistani project "Glaciers and Students" will make an inventory of the 7 200 glaciers of the Karakoram – the mountain range representing...
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Building resilience into watersheds – A sourcebookpublicationThe purpose of this sourcebook is to provide advice on how to incorporate disaster risk reduction and resilience building into the watershed management process. As an increasingly heavier toll is exerted on agriculture and food systems by drought, floods, wildfires, and other extreme events, adopting risk reduction and management practices...
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