Wangchuk expressed concern that the upcoming Mahakumbh may need to be held on the "sandy remnants of sacred rivers," which could become desiccated if the glaciers are not adequately protected. He urged for prompt action to mitigate the migration of individuals from the Himalayan region due to the impacts of climate change.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who recently returned from a tour in the United States where he highlighted the rapid melting of glaciers by transporting a piece of ice from Ladakh, has addressed an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In this letter, he emphasized the necessity for India to take a proactive role in combating climate change. He warned that without the restoration of glaciers, the Ganga and Yamuna rivers may only flow seasonally.
India must prioritize glacier conservation, as our sacred rivers, including the Ganga and Yamuna, originate from these mountainsWangchuk
The glaciers of the Himalayas are rapidly melting, and if this trend, along with ongoing deforestation, persists, it is likely that in a few decades, our revered rivers such as the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Indus may only flow seasonally. This could result in the next Mahakumbh being celebrated on the dry remnants of these sacred rivers, Wangchuk noted. He emphasized that India must take a proactive role in addressing the adverse effects of climate change, given that the Himalayas contain the third-largest reserves of ice and snow on the planet, following the Arctic and Antarctica.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)