Depleted Asia snow levels threaten water supplies of two billion

Snow levels in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region hit a 23-year low, threatening the water supplies of two billion people.

The mountain ranges, which stretch from Afghanistan to Myanmar, hold the world’s largest ice reserves outside the Arctic and Antarctic, and their meltwater is a vital source of fresh water in much of Asia.

“Snow persistence,” the time snow lasts on the ground, is 23.6% below normal, the third year of low snow, raising the risk of drought in areas already affected by more regular heatwaves.

Ice is on the retreat everywhere: The World Meteorological Organization said recently that five of the last six years have seen rapid glacier retreat, and sea ice near both poles is at record lows.