Srinagar: Around 122 glaciers are shrinking in Kashmir’s Pir Panchal mountain range, raising concerns about potential glacial lake outburst floods, according to the reserch study by NIT, Srinagar.
Researchers have identified 122 glaciers in the Pir Panchal range, whose size has drastically decreasedsed from 25.7 square kilometers to 15.9 square kilometres since 1980, the study said.
The research conducted by the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, led by Mohammad Ashraf Ganai and Syed Qaiser Bukhari and published in the International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology, revealed that glaciers in the south have experienced more significant melting compared to those facing north.
Additionally, glaciers situated at an average altitude of 3,800-4,000 meters above sea level have exhibited more pronounced melting than those at lower elevations.
The decline in glaciers poses a threat of water scarcity, impacting agricultural production and everyday life. The rapid and substantial melting of glaciers also increases the risk of glacial lake outburst floods, which could disrupt the ecosystem and pose significant hazards, the research added.
(KNO)