CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -According to a recent study, the glaciers of which India state are losing mass faster than other parts of the Himalayas? Notes: The Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun have recently found that glaciers in Sikkim are melting at a higher magnitude than other Himalayan regions.

Detailed explanation-2: -Zemu Glacier is the largest glacier in the Eastern Himalaya. It is about 26 kilometres (16 mi) in length and is located at the base of Kangchenjunga in the Himalayan region of Sikkim, India. The Zemu Glacier drains the east side of Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain.

Detailed explanation-3: -Sikkim, comprising 0.5 per cent of India’s landmass, has 84 glaciers, the largest number as compared to any other state or union territory.

Detailed explanation-4: -New research suggests that the area of Himalayan glaciers has shrunk by 40 percent since the Little Ice Age maximum between 400-700 years ago, and that in the past few decades ice melt has accelerated faster than in other mountainous parts of the world.

Detailed explanation-5: -Melting glaciers have significant impact on water resources of Himalayan rivers due to change in glacier basin hydrology, downstream water budget, impact on hydropower plants due to variation in discharge, flash flood and sedimentation.