Climate Emergency

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In a recent paper published in the Journal of Hydrology, scientists looked at climate change and their impact on river runoffs in the Dokriani Glacier in the Central Himalaya. To understand the impact of climate change on these glaciers, it was crucial to collect and analyse regional climate data from the field.

It was found, over forty years of data analysis, that the glacier was in steady state before 2000. The temperature changes impact the glaciers, and as a result, the snowmelt and ice melt disappears earlier. This, in turn, impacts the runoff of the river.

Experts also talk about debris cover in this paper. The lower part of the glacier has rocks that come down to the glacier when there is an avalanche. Scientists worldwide say that perhaps this debris cover could prevent the glacier from impacts of climate change. In the last 5-6 decades, glaciers have been losing their mass but the impact of climate change on melting runoff into rivers depends on the local climate. This study quantifies the snow and glacier melt at local conditions and looks at how the river runoff would be impacted in the downstream regions. This would help in planning the water resources and flood risk reduction in the rivers. As farmers heavily depend on these rivers for sowing, and this happens on a very timely basis, this data would help in water management in future.

In this episode, independent environmental journalist Sharada Balasubramanian talks to Smriti Srivastava, a research scholar from the Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, and Mohammad Farooq Azam, a glaciologist and professor from IIT Indore.

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Join Rakesh Kamal, Editor of Climate Emergency Podcast, in this episode as he delves deep into the intricate matter of climate misinformation and its far-reaching consequences for the global north and south. He speaks with Aditi Tandon, production editor with Mongabay India, and a fact-checking trainer with the Google News Initiative India Training Network. She discusses the significance of narratives in climate negotiations to the detrimental effects of misinformation and the vital role of accurate information in tackling the urgent climate crisis. Tune in now to gain valuable insights into this pressing issue.

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On October 4th, a glacial lake outburst event struck North Sikkim, sending shockwaves across the northeastern state. This event unfolded at Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim, causing an abrupt and alarming surge in the water level of the Teesta River. The floodwaters reached the Teesta III Dam in Chungthang around midnight, resulting in the dam's destruction within mere minutes.

While initial reports suggested that a cloudburst may have triggered the glacial lake outburst, scientific investigations are ongoing to uncover the true underlying causes of this phenomenon. In this episode of Climate Emergency, reporter Sneha Richhariya talks to local residents to understand the situation on ground and speaks to Prof. Vimal Khawas from the Special Centre for the Study of North East India at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi about the factors driving this event, with an emphasis on how climate change has exacerbated it.

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