The Himalayas are considered world’s richest water resource. Enormous glaciers formed by round the year snowfall are the source of water which flows down the heights and makes huge rivers that give sustenance to the vast Indian Sub-continent. These glaciers are life line for the vast humanity of this part of the globe. For thousands of years the big rivers like the Sindh, the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Brahmaputra and smaller rivers like those flowing from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab and then to Pakistan also find their source in these glaciers. As such their importance is self explanatory.
In recent years, much concern has been expressed about the glaciers shrinking owing to geographical changes. Scientists believe that owing to global warming, shrinking of glaciers has begun to happen. They believe that glaciers are melting and water is flowing down in great quantity and a time may come when very little quantity of water will be left in these glaciers. That could be a horrible situation. These concerns have made the Department of Science and Technology, GoI float a mega research project at a cost of 185 million rupees in which four universities of Kashmir, Jammu, JNU and Sikkim will cooperate and deploy teams of experts to conduct research study in the glacial phenomena of the Himalayas. We think this is a timely step in right direction. Its report will be eagerly awaited.
The study is of extraordinary importance to the nation as a whole. It might make useful suggestions of how to preserve the valuable water bodies at source and secure it against deletion or pollution. We know that the entire humanity is seriously concerned about water scarcity because of the great pressure on consumption of water on the one hand and depletion of water bodies on the other. This mega study will come timely to give us the right direction of how to tackle the question of proper utilization of water resources.
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