Glaciology centre to study melting of Himalayan glaciers

Shimla,October30: The Glaciology centre, the first of its kind in the country, will be set up in one of the Himalayan states to study melting of glaciers, amid findings that about 21 per cent of the snow cap had receded in the ranges in the last four decades.

The proposed centre would come up in any of the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,Uttrakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, said Akhilesh Gupta, Advisor, Union Science and Technology Department.

Glaciology is the scientific study of the internal mechanism of glaciers and their effects on eco-systems.

Studies had come out with shocking findings that Himalayan glaciers had melted by about 21 per cent during the period from 1966 to 2004 under the impact of global warming, Gupta, also coordinator of National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Eco-systems, said.

Himalayan glaciers are the main source of water for major rivers in north India.On developed countries asking India to cut down its carbon emission, Gupta said the country's carbon emission rate was already low.