Lest Ganga-Brahmaputra’s condition become like that of Saraswati? UN chief warns of global warming impact on Indian rivers

The United Nations: Countries around the world are constantly making efforts to reduce and address global warming. Constant warnings are also voiced about its far-reaching side effects. Now, the UN Secretary General has also warned of a great loss for Indian rivers due to global warming in the coming decades.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (SGNU Antonio Guterres) during a program warned against the rivers of India, especially the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, as well as the great rivers of the Himalayas like the Indus River from Pakistan, which the Global Due to warming, a decrease in their flow can be observed in the coming decades due to the reduction of glaciers and ice caps. These rivers are considered special and very important for India.

Commenting on the International Year of Glacier Conservation on Wednesday, UN chief António Guterres said glaciers are important for all life on earth. Over the centuries, they have shaped the lands we call home. Glaciers cover 10% of our planet and are also the water towers of the world.

António Guterres expressed concern that human activity is pushing the temperature of the planet to dangerous new levels and that “melting glaciers are the canary in the coal mine. Antarctica loses an average of 150 billion tons of ice every year, while the Greenland ice sheet is melting even faster, meaning it loses 270 billion tons of ice every year.

Guterres said that in Asia, 10 major rivers originate from the Himalayan region, providing fresh water to 1.3 billion people living in its catchment area. António Guterres said: “Glaciers and ice caps will shrink over the next few decades. Its major impact will be felt on the great Himalayan rivers like the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. Floods have been observed in Pakistan due to the melting of the Himalayan glacier. They also expressed concern that rising sea levels and the ingress of salt water would destroy large parts of these vast deltas.

Held at United Nations Headquarters, the event is officially known as the 2023 Conference for the Comprehensive Midterm Review of the Implementation of the United Nations Decade of Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028). The United Nations 2023 was organized as a conference on water.

Co-hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands, the March 22-24 conference will feed into the 2023 session of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

The United Nations said the 2023 UN Water Conference was co-hosted by the governments of Tajikistan and the Netherlands. The event will be a pivotal moment for UN Member States, the UN system and stakeholders to mobilize action and deliver effective solutions globally.

Citing data from the World Meteorological Organization, Guterres also warned that global mean sea level had risen faster in the past 3,000 years since 1900 than in any previous century.

He said that if we do not change this trend, its consequences will be disastrous. Low-lying communities and the entire country will be wiped out forever. All over the world we will see massive movements of entire populations and fierce competition for water and land. Will face disasters such as floods, droughts and landslides.

António Guterres also called on all countries in the world to act in unity to protect people and communities. And stressed the urgent need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

He also said there was an urgent need to reduce emissions, increase adaptation measures and ensure climate justice. And developing countries must have the resources to adapt and build their resilience to climate disasters.

He urged the international community to invest in climate-resilient buildings, infrastructure and water pipes as well as policies that preserve precious water resources and their ecosystems for the future.

They also highlighted the need to strengthen institutional capacities and integrate risk reduction measures to ensure the protection of every person in the world through life-saving early warning systems against dangerous climate or weather events by 2027. .

During the inauguration of the conference on Wednesday, the UN Secretary-General also made a strong point that we have broken the water cycle, destroyed the ecosystem and contaminated groundwater.

Nearly three out of four natural disasters are water-related, one in four people live without managed water services or safe drinking water, and more than 1.7 billion people lack basic sanitation facilities. He pointed out that half a billion people defecate in the open and that millions of women and girls spend hours every day fetching water.

He called on the G20 to propose a Climate Solidarity Pact in which all major emitters make additional efforts to reduce emissions, and rich countries provide financial and economic support to support emerging economies. Mobilize technical resources. India is currently the presidency of the G20.

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Keywords: global warming, The United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, water crisis