White Paper on Himalayan Glaciers

Rajya Sabha

Government has no proposal to bring out a White Paper on the current state of scientific knowledge on the Himalayan Glaciers. However, a Discussion Paper on Himalayan Glacier has been published.

A new research centre on Himalayan Glaciology has been established at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun. Guidelines and best practices for Governance for Sustaining Himalayan Eco-system (G-SHE) has been developed and shared with all State Governments in the Himalayan region.

Different findings have been reported relating to melting of Himalayan glaciers. According to Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released in April 2007, the Himalayan Glaciers are receding faster than in any part of the world. Whereas the studies carried out by Geological Survey of India indicates that the majority of Himalayan glaciers are passing through a phase of recession, which is a worldwide phenomenon. The recession of glaciers is a part of the natural cyclic process of changes in size and other attributes of the glaciers. These changes could be attributed to various reasons including global warming.

A National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was launched in June 2008 which envisages the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system amongst its 8 National Missions. This Mission would seek to understand weather and the extent to which the Himalayan glaciers are in recession and how the problem could be addressed. A new research centre on Himalayan Glaciology has been established at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun. Government has also prepared guidelines and best practices for sustaining Himalayan eco-system and has shared it with all State Governments in the Himalayan region.

Long-term comprehensive studies are required in order to conclusively establish the impact of global warming on recession of glaciers in Himalayan region.

This information was given by the Shri Namo Narain Meena, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and currently looking after Ministry of Environment and Forests in a return reply to question by Smt Mohsina Kidwai, Smt Shobhana Bhartia, Shri Prabhat Jha and Shri Kaptan Singh Solanki in the Rajya Sabha today.

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KP