Water and Climate
Ten Himalayan rivers sustain 1.4 billion people across six nations — and the glacial system feeding them is retreating faster than the region's economic model accounts for.
1.4B
People across six nations sustained by ten Himalayan rivers
$10B
Estimated annual flood losses, Brahmaputra-Ganga basin
<8%
Of basin runoff currently captured for productive use
The Systemic Problem
The Himalayan glacial system feeds the river basins that half of Asia depends on, but retreat is accelerating unevenly across the range. At the same time, the basins that are drying out seasonally are also flooding annually: less than 8% of Brahmaputra-Ganga basin runoff is captured for productive use, while the same basin absorbs roughly $10 billion a year in flood losses. There is no shared water-data network between India, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to manage either problem jointly.
Why It Has Global Consequences
Water security for 1.4 billion people, agricultural output across the Indo-Gangetic plain, and the stability of India-China-Bangladesh relations all run through the same glacial and river system. Upstream diversion plans on rivers like the Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra raise the stakes for downstream flow, storage, and flood management well beyond any single country's borders.
Related Intelligence
Current HEF Research
Related Projects
Indicators HEF Will Monitor
- Share of basin runoff captured for productive (storage, irrigation, power) use
- Glacial-lake outburst flood (GLOF) and flash-flood incident frequency
- Progress toward a shared, multilateral Himalayan water-data framework
Intended Institutional Outcomes
- A shared water-data framework across India, China, Nepal, and Bhutan
- Measurable reduction in annual flood-loss exposure in the Brahmaputra-Ganga basin