Rising temperatures in the Himalayas would lead to melting of at least one-third of the region’s glaciers by the end of the century.

These glaciers feed the 10 most important rivers of this region and when one-third of that ice melts by 2100, its will have a major impact on food security and livelihood. More than 1.9 billion people from some of the world’s poorest nations are going to get affected if the Himalayan glaciers are not saved and the ice melting is stopped.

At the Spring Meet 2019 organised by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, CNBC-TV18 covered a special session on the effect of the melting Himalayan glaciers on the South Asian people, economy and environment. As many as 3,000 delegates from across the globe have attended the meeting.

Participants discussed various measures to protect the glaciers. Acting Finance Minister of Afghanistan Mohammad Humayon Qayoumi, Confederation of Indian Industry President and Vice-chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motor Vikram Kirloskar, Senior Programme Officer at National Geographic Society Aurora Elmore, Executive Director of CSCCC and CEO of Mountain and Glacier Org Aisha Khan and Lead Economist South Asia Region at World Bank Muthukumara Mani took part in the event.