‘Asian water tower’ is facing a worsening supply imbalance, study finds
- Caused by global warming and atmospheric circulation changes, it could lead to disputes between nations downstream of the Third Pole
- The region – including the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding Hindu Kush Himalayan mountain ranges – delivers water to almost 2 billion people
Global warming and atmospheric circulation changes will worsen water stress in nations downstream of the Third Pole – including India, Bangladesh and Nepal – where about 90 per cent of water is used for irrigation, according to a new study.
It said more demand for water and a worsening imbalance in water resources in the region could increase the potential for disputes and conflict between countries that share transboundary river basins.
The team, led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, called for more cooperation among those nations to develop new water use strategies.
The Third Pole – which includes the Tibetan Plateau and the surrounding Hindu Kush Himalayan mountain ranges – has the most glaciers outside the Arctic and Antarctica and is known as the “Asian water tower”.
