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Himalayan peaks from Nepal to Uttarakhand signal climate alarm, says Shyam Saran
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 28 Aug 2026, 05:33 PM
👁 3
Former diplomat Shyam Saran cautions that accelerating glacial melt and erratic weather across the Himalayas—from Nepal through Uttarakhand to China—indicate an urgent climate crisis.
Shyam Saran, a veteran Indian diplomat and columnist, has highlighted the growing signs of distress in the Himalayan range, stretching from Nepal to the Indian state of Uttarakhand and onward into China. He points to rapidly receding glaciers, increased frequency of landslides, and unpredictable monsoon patterns as clear warnings that the mountain ecosystem is under severe stress.
The former ambassador stresses that these changes are not isolated incidents but part of a broader climate shift affecting water security for millions downstream. He notes that the Himalayas, often called the "water tower of Asia," feed major rivers such as the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Mekong, making their stability crucial for agriculture, energy and livelihoods across the region.
Saran calls for immediate, coordinated action by South Asian governments and the international community to curb greenhouse‑gas emissions, invest in resilient infrastructure, and enhance trans‑border monitoring of glacial melt. He warns that without decisive steps, the cascading impacts could exacerbate floods, droughts and socio‑economic instability throughout the subcontinent.
The editorial concludes with a reminder that the mountains themselves are sounding an alarm; policymakers must translate these warnings into concrete climate‑adaptation policies before the situation worsens further.
The former ambassador stresses that these changes are not isolated incidents but part of a broader climate shift affecting water security for millions downstream. He notes that the Himalayas, often called the "water tower of Asia," feed major rivers such as the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Mekong, making their stability crucial for agriculture, energy and livelihoods across the region.
Saran calls for immediate, coordinated action by South Asian governments and the international community to curb greenhouse‑gas emissions, invest in resilient infrastructure, and enhance trans‑border monitoring of glacial melt. He warns that without decisive steps, the cascading impacts could exacerbate floods, droughts and socio‑economic instability throughout the subcontinent.
The editorial concludes with a reminder that the mountains themselves are sounding an alarm; policymakers must translate these warnings into concrete climate‑adaptation policies before the situation worsens further.