High above the plains of South Asia, the mighty Himalayas, long revered as the “abode of snow” and the cradle of rivers, are losing their white mantle at an alarming pace. Satellite data and ground observations now reveal vast swathes of the Himalayan range lying bare and rocky during winter, a season that historically has draped these peaks in snow. This striking transformation is not a seasonal anomaly but a symptom of systemic, climate-driven change. The implications of a warmer, snow-poor Himalaya extend far beyond altered landscapes; they threaten the water security, ecosystems and livelihoods of nearly two billion people across South and Southeast Asia.
For millennia, the Himalayan cryosphere, the interconnected system of snow and glaciers, has acted as a natural reservoir. Snow accumulated over winter melts gradually in spring and summer, feeding rivers when rainfall ebbs. Glaciers, in turn, provide sustained baseflow for rivers throughout dry periods. But this delicate balance is unravelling.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a regional scientific intergovernmental body, recently published its 2025 Snow Update Report, revealing that snow persistence — the duration snow remains on the ground — across the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) has dropped to its lowest in 23 years. Snow persistence was found to be 23.6 per cent below normal, marking four of the past five winters as below-normal in snow cover.
This pattern of decline represents more than a statistical fluctuation; scientists now speak of “snow droughts” — prolonged periods of unusually low snowfall — particularly pronounced at mid-elevations between about 3,000 and 6,000 metres. In many areas of the central and western Himalayas, snowfall in recent winters has been well below the 1980-2020 average, leaving ridges and slopes bare and rocky during peak winter months when they should be snow-covered.
Meteorologists and climate scientists attribute this to a combination of rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns and weakening storm systems. Western disturbances, Mediterranean low-pressure systems that historically bring most winter precipitation to the Himalayas are less potent and more erratic, carrying less moisture inland and reducing snowfall. When snow does fall, warmer temperatures mean it melts more rapidly, further reducing snow persistence.
The result is stark: once reliably snow-clad mountains are revealing their rocky skeletons in winter, a visible testimony to the rapid changes underway in the cryosphere.
This disturbing trend aligns with the broader scientific consensus on mountain climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its assessments of global warming and cryosphere dynamics, has documented declines in snow cover and glacier mass in high mountain areas, including the Himalayas. These changes are linked directly to rising temperatures and altered atmospheric circulation. Snow cover is projected to become even more variable and shorter-lived across the 21st century under continued warming scenarios.
The IPCC’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate describes how low-elevation snow cover is declining, while other cryospheric components, including glaciers and permafrost, are also shrinking. This has profound implications for water resources, hazards, and ecological integrity.
These scientific assessments underscore that the Himalayan snow loss is neither local nor transient; it is part of broader changes occurring in global mountain systems. The Himalayan region, sometimes dubbed the “Third Pole” because of its vast ice and snow reserves second only to the Arctic and Antarctica, is warming at a pace that outstrips many other parts of the planet.
It is not only snowfall that is declining. Himalayan glaciers themselves: massive, slow-moving rivers of ice are retreating and thinning at accelerating rates. ICIMOD’s longer-term assessments and other scientific studies have documented widespread glacier mass loss throughout the HKH region, trends that are consistent with rising temperatures and increased melt intensity. While some debates exist about spatial variability, the overall pattern is unmistakable: glaciers are losing ice faster than they accumulate it.
Global glacier assessments point out that even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, a large fraction of Himalayan glacier ice is projected to be lost by the end of the century. Under higher warming scenarios, the losses are profoundly greater. This glacier melt contributes initially to increased river flow but ultimately leads to declining dry-season water availability once ice reservoirs diminish significantly.
The confluence of declining winter snowfall and accelerating glacier loss represents a dual crisis for the hydrology of the region. Snow provides a seasonal buffer, a steady spring and summer melt that sustains rivers, while glaciers provide longer-term stability. Losing both sources simultaneously threatens the water security of millions.
The Himalayan cryosphere feeds 12 of Asia’s major river systems, including the Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Salween, and Amu Darya. Snowmelt contributes, on average, about one-quarter of the annual runoff for these basins, while glaciers and high-altitude ice provide essential dry-season water.
For the billions of people downstream, this meltwater is more than a natural phenomenon — it is the backbone of drinking water supplies, irrigation systems, hydropower generation, food production, and economic activity. The Ganges Basin alone supports hundreds of millions of farmers whose livelihoods hinge on dependable water flows through the dry pre-monsoon months.
Declining snowpack and glacier loss are projected to lead to earlier and more rapid spring melt, followed by reduced flows later in the year. This shift changes the timing and reliability of water availability, compounding stress on reservoirs, groundwater systems, and irrigation infrastructure. As snow cover diminishes, rivers become more reliant on erratic monsoon rains, which are themselves becoming more unpredictable with climate change.
In some regions, reduced snow and ice cover also heighten the risk of drought, forest fires, and ecological stress. Dry spells with low snow cover leave soils and lower vegetation parched, creating conditions ripe for fire outbreaks. Meanwhile, the erosive glue once provided by snow and ice weakens mountain slopes, increasing the risk of landslides, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), and debris flows — hazards that threaten infrastructure, lives and settlements across the Himalayas.
The ramifications of Himalayan cryosphere loss are not evenly distributed. Mountain communities, already among the most vulnerable socioeconomically, face immediate risks to livelihoods, water access and cultural heritage. Seasonal pastoralism, traditional irrigation practices and high-altitude agriculture are all critically dependent on predictable snow and meltwater regimes.
Downstream, urban centres and agricultural heartlands, from northern India’s plains to Bangladesh’s deltaic hinterlands and Pakistan’s irrigated fields, stand on the frontline of water stress. Smaller hydropower stations in upstream regions may face reduced dry-season flows, undermining their economic viability. Meanwhile, large dam projects on rivers like the Brahmaputra and Indus complicate water sharing and heighten geopolitical tensions in an already fragile transboundary context.
The adaptive capacity of various countries varies widely. Wealthier riparian states possess more financial and technological resources to build storage, enhance forecasting and upgrade water management systems. Poorer, less resourced nations are left scrambling to cope with changing water availability, intensifying inequality in a region already challenged by poverty and infrastructure gaps.
The scale and systemic nature of Himalayan cryosphere loss make clear that no purely local solution will suffice. At the global level, rapid and sustained mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions remains the most fundamental intervention. The science is unequivocal: every fraction of avoided warming reduces snow loss, slows glacial retreat, and preserves the seasonal and long-term water buffering capacity of High Mountain Asia. Without decisive global climate action, regional adaptation efforts will be forced into a constant race against accelerating hydrological decline.
At the regional and national levels, adaptation must be grounded in robust science and anticipatory governance. This requires substantial investment in cryospheric monitoring, high-resolution climate and hydrological modelling, and integrated early-warning systems for floods, droughts, and glacial hazards. Institutions such as ICIMOD demonstrate the value of sustained, cooperative scientific observation, but current monitoring and forecasting capacities remain inadequate for the pace of change underway. Strengthening data-sharing and translating scientific insights into water planning, agricultural policy, and disaster preparedness are now policy imperatives, not optional add-ons.
Equally crucial is transboundary cooperation across the Himalayan river basins. As rivers disregard political boundaries, fragmented water governance heightens the risks of conflict, maladaptation, and inequitable outcomes. Shared hydrological data, coordinated reservoir operations, and joint drought and flood contingency planning can significantly enhance regional resilience. These must be complemented by investments in water-use efficiency, groundwater recharge, watershed restoration, climate-resilient agriculture, and social safety nets for mountain and downstream communities. Together, cooperative governance and equitable adaptation offer the only credible path to managing a rapidly transforming Himalayan waterscape without deepening existing social, economic, and geopolitical fractures.
Amal Chandra is an author, policy analyst and columnist. He tweets @ens_socialis
Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth