A recent study about the water towers across the globe says that Indus Water Tower, which supplies water to India, Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan, is the most vulnerable one. This most important Water Tower may degrade quickly given the exponential rise in the water demand of the population of surrounding nations, massive economic growth, and political tension.
Crux of the Matter
In a study of the 78 water towers of the world, it was found that the most important water towers are the most vulnerable ones.
Besides the Indus Water Tower, other essential water towers of Asia like the Ganges-Brahmaputra, Tigris, Amu Darya, and the Tarim system are also exposed to high degradation, impacting nearly 1.9 billion population of the world.
Rapid population growth and economic development will increase the demand for water substantially.
Climate change is likely to increase the temperature of the Indus water tower by 1.9 degrees Celsius. The growing temperature will affect the precipitation cycle and in turn, reduce the storage capacity of the glaciers.
“What we recommend in our study is that we should really recognise mountains as global assets of the Earth system, and that means mountain ranges should be at the top of political agendas, and dedicated policies should be developed” said a professor of Utrecht University.
Curiopedia
A Water Tower is a natural water storage tank with valves. Snowfall fills the tank and then with rising temperatures of the summer, the snow gradually melts and provides water outflow to the surrounding region through a natural valve that controls the flow. The 200,000 glaciers, snow on mountains, lakes on a highland, all are a part of the water tower ecosystem, which bears nearly 50% of all the freshwater consumed on the planet. More Info
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