Status of Glaciers in the Indus Basin

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region encompasses an area of 4.2 million km2 of hills and mountains in the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. With its vast expanses of snow and ice, the region it is known as the water tower of Asia, which is being significantly affected by climate change. The meltwater from Himalayan snow and ice feeds 10 large river systems of South Asia: the Amu Darya, Brahmaputra, Ganges, Indus, Irrawaddy, Mekong, Salween, Tarim, Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. This document is an inventory of all the glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.