“Snow persistence” dropped nearly a fifth below normal across the Hindu Kush and Himalaya region in 2024. The Helmand river basin in Afghanistan recorded its second-lowest snow persistence at 32% below normal. The Indus river basin was down 23% below normal

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1. Millions of people dependent on Himalayan snowmelt for water face a “very serious” risk of shortages this year after one of the lowest rates of snowfall, scientists warned Monday.
   Snowmelt is the source of about a quarter of the total water flow of 12 major river basins that originate high in the region, the report said.

   “This is a wake-up call for researchers, policymakers and downstream communities,” said report author Sher Muhammad, from the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

   “Lower accumulation of snow and fluctuating levels of snow pose a very serious increased risk of water shortages, particularly this year.”