War over water!
The next world war, so goes the saying, will be fought over waters. Imagine the huge glaciers in the Himalayan mountains melting under the impact of global warming, leading to fall in water levels of the mighty Ganges, Brahmaputra and other rivers, drought and severe water scarcity for millions in India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The picture may be too scary and seem like a doomsday piece but could turn into reality if prompt steps are not taken to tackle global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is concerned over the rapidly melting glaciers in the Himalayas and his worry came out in the upper house of Parliament recently. “If the glacier system in Tibet and Indus rivers melts, then it will have a catastrophic effect because of the linking of Tibet and India.”
Singh said he had taken up the issue with Chinese President Hu Jintao and emphasised that a joint study should be held to understand the dynamics of the water system.
An inter-governmental panel on climate change has found that Himalayan glaciers are melting faster than the glaciers in any other part of the world. The Chinese Academy of Sciences also found that glaciers in the Tibetan plateau are shrinking quickly.
Indian Minister of State for Environment and Forest Namo Narayan Meena said the melting of the glaciers would ultimately trigger more droughts, expand desertification and increase sand storms and disrupt water supply as many rivers originate from the Himalayas.
Several rivers originating in the Himalayas flow through India, Nepal, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Pallab Bhattacharya is New Delhi correspondent of The Daily Star.
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