In May 2025, the Yala Glacier in Langtang Valley, Nepal, was declared “dead” during Asia’s first glacier funeral, after losing 66% of its ice and retreating 784 meters(m) since the 1970s, highlighting the severe impact of climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region.
- The event, coordinated by the Kathmandu (Nepal)-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), witnessed the participation of over 50 glaciologists, Buddhist monks, and local community members from Nepal, India, China, and Bhutan.
Note: The HKH region extends across twelve countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Key Details of the Event:
i.Memorial Plaques: Installed at the glacier’s base, featuring messages in English, Nepali, and Tibetan by authors Manjushree Thapa and Andri Snaer Magnason.
- The plaques emphasize the loss of 54,000 HKH glaciers, most projected to vanish by 2100 due to 426 ppm (part per million) Carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in May 2025.
ii.Global Precedents: Yala is the third glacier worldwide and the first in Asia, to receive such a memorial, following Iceland’s Okjökull (Ok glacier) (2019) and Mexico’s Ayoloco (2021).
iii.Scientific Significance: Yala was among 7 glaciers in the HKH monitored annually for over a decade. It provided critical data on ice loss impacting 2 billion people dependent on HKH rivers.
- It is one of 38 glaciers monitored through in-situ measurements, offering vital data on the rate and scale of glacial retreat.
- Since 1975, Earth’s mountain glaciers have lost an estimated 9 trillion tonnes of ice, equivalent to a 2.72-metre (m) thick ice block covering the size of India.
iv.Snow persistence in the Ganga basin has dropped to 24.1% below normal, the lowest in 23 years, posing threats to water security and biodiversity.
Global and National Conservation Efforts:
i.The United Nations (UN) has designated 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. March 21 is to be annually observed as the World Day for Glaciers.
ii.Global Initiatives include:
- UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme.
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Himalayan Adaptation Network.
- World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s Living Himalayas Initiative.
iii.India’s initiatives include:
- National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)
- Network Programme on the Himalayan Cryosphere
- Monitoring by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).
- Research through Himansh Station and polar expeditions like India’s Arctic Observatory (IndARC) (2014).
About Nepal:
Prime Minister(PM) – Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli
President – Ram Chandra Poudel
Capital – Kathmandu
Currency – Nepalese Rupee (NPR)
