Himalayan Villagers Face a Water Crisis as Melting Glaciers Threaten Their Future

In the high-altitude villages of northern India, the effects of climate change are evident in everyday life. Villagers like Sonam Yangdon, who carries manure to her fields, witness the disappearance of glacier snow that was once abundant during her childhood. These changes, attributed to rising global temperatures, are now reshaping both the landscape and the local way of life.

In Upper Kumik, one of the region’s oldest settlements in Ladakh’s Zanskar Valley, the dwindling supply of glacial meltwater has led many residents to leave. Local sheep farmer Stanzin Shedup explains how his community, despite its deep emotional and historical ties to the land, is being forced to move toward better water sources on the valley floor. Efforts to build irrigation channels and water catchments represent their attempts to adapt, though the underlying crisis remains a concern.

The melting glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region—referred to as the world’s “third pole”—play a critical role in providing freshwater to major river basins such as the Indus and Ganges. With predictions that these glaciers could lose up to 75 percent of their volume by 2100, experts warn that the consequences of reduced snowfall and accelerated melt could significantly disrupt the water supply for nearly two billion people.

Researcher Jigmet Katpa from Ladakh’s regional capital, Leh, observes how the local water crisis is influencing migration patterns, as more people move from rural areas to urban centers. While the urban population in Leh grapples with its own issues of overexploitation and groundwater pollution, the looming threat of climate-induced water scarcity casts a shadow over the region’s future, underlining the urgent need for improved water management and concerted global action.