Meltwater quality and quantity assessment in the Himalayan glaciers

Abstract

Glaciers are the largest reservoir of fresh water on the earth. They play a vital role in the hydrological cycle (Sangewar 2012). Snow field areas of the Himalayan glaciers store about 12,000 km3 of fresh water and are the main source of water for great Asian rivers: Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus (Cruz et al. 2007). There are approximately 9600 glaciers found in the Indian Himalayan region, covering an area of about 40,000 km2 (Raina and Srivastava 2008). Himalayan glaciers control the global climate change and are considered as a sensitive indicator for climate change (Sharma et al. 2013a). Since last century, majority of the Himalayan glaciers have been retreating significantly due to climate change (Kulkarni and Bahuguna 2002; Kulkarni and Alex 2003; Kulkarni et al. 2005) and effecting the meltwater runoff from the glaciers of Himalaya (Kulkarni et al. 2002). Discharge from the Himalayan glaciers is important for the generation of hydroelectric power, irrigation and drinking water supply (Singh et al. 2006).