Source: www.zeenews.com
LONDON, ENGLAND, June 10, 2009: A report released Wednesday claims the melting of the glaciers, also known as ‘Water Towers of Asia’ will bring perils to poor section of the populations dependent on the river systems in India, China, Pakistan and other Asian countries by the year 2050.
Titled ‘In Search of Shelter: Mapping the Effects of Climate Change on Human Migration and Displacement’, the report announced in Bonn, Germany, says ongoing melting of the glaciers will devastate heavily irrigated farmlands of Asia by increasing floods and decreasing long-term water supplies.
The glacier-fed basins of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irawaddy, Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and Yellow rivers now support over 1.4 billion people in India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and other neighboring countries.
Changes in the rivers and livelihoods dependent on them could bring profound economic, cultural and demographic impacts, the report warns.