Glacier reduction - Impact on water supply
Websites/Multiple Documents
Description:
"In the dry and arid central region of Myanmar, water for drinking and farming is scarce. Village communities eke out a living growing peanuts and sesame, walking or using bullock carts over long distances to get water for their homes and farms. Some communities have tried to dig ponds or install bore wells; others pay for water to those who own carts, to maintain their livelihoods and families. Climate risks are worsening the situation as dry seasons get longer and more intense; most young people are migrating to the cities..."
Rajesh Daniel, Plengvut Plengplang, Than Yailamyong, Pin Pravalprukskul, Agus Nugroho
Source/publisher:
"Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)"
Date of publication:
2018-04-19
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-13
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
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Individual Documents
Description:
""We live in a part of the world that will be hit incredibly hard by climate change. The disruptions to agriculture and food security will be enormous. People will simply not be able to live as they are, where they are"
Thant Myint U, 2018
“Climate Change” and “Migrations” are two international growing issues discussed everywhere but too rarely related to each other. From Myanmar’s perspective, not only as an agriculture-based country but also as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, “Climate Change” and “Migrations” are strongly related to each other.
According to the World Bank, “by 2050 climate change could force more than 143 million people to move within their countries.” This includes 40 million people in South Asia neighboring Myanmar. At present, human beings are already fleeing dry zones turning into desert, river-delta being stroke by heavy monsoon and tropical cyclone. People are forced to escape the effects of climate change and the future only seems to get worst. Myanmar is no exception..."
Source/publisher:
"Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-01-11
Date of entry/update:
2020-01-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Climate Change - Migration Burma/Myanmar, Climate Change - Burma/Myanmar: general, Glacier reduction - Impact on water supply
Language:
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Description:
"Melting of the Himalayan glaciers, caused by climate change and black carbon from pollution, poses major risks to the people, environment and economies in South Asia and beyond.
A vital source of water for eight countries from Afghanistan to Myanmar, Himalayan glaciers store 10 percent of the world’s freshwater and support irrigation, energy, and the livelihoods of 750 million people living downstream.
Left unchecked, glacier melting will trigger a higher loss of biodiversity, lower economic growth, and more acute food and water shortages in the future.
This growing threat and solutions to curb shrinking glaciers and foster a sustainable mountain economy will underpin this event’s proceedings.
Expect fast-paced data-blitz presentations, cutting-edge research, and a vibrant discussion with policymakers, practitioners, and researchers, including a live interaction with a National Geographic Society team from Mount Everest.
In partnership with the National Geographic Society
Moderation by Manisha Natarajan, Journalist and Anchor at CNBCTV18 (India)..."
Source/publisher:
World Bank Live
Date of publication:
2019-04-12
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
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Description:
"This assessment analyses the vulnerability of the
ecosystem, infrastructure, and socio-economic
conditions in Hakha Township located in Chin State,
Myanmar in relation to present and projected climatic
conditions. It concludes that the current vulnerability
of Hakha Township is high, and with
the predicted changes in climate, decision
makers in Hakha Township will need to plan for
increased flash floods and landslides, strong winds,
increased temperature, and erratic rainfall with
greater amounts of rain within a shorter monsoon
season. Based on these findings, required actions
for building resilience over the medium to long term
are proposed in this report. In 2017–18 the Myanmar Climate Change Alliance (MCCA), implemented by UNHabitat and UN-Environment, in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources
and Environmental Conservation and in collaboration with the International
Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), conducted a detailed
climate change vulnerability assessment of Hakha Township, which is located in
the mountainous China State of Myanmar. Chin State spans 36,019 km2 and is
bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the
south, Bangladesh to the south-west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to the west
and Manipur to the north (Figure 1). The capital of the state is in Hakha and the
population is approximately 478,801 as per the 2014 Census.
The present study analyses current vulnerability and predicts future vulnerability of
Hakha Township by projecting future changes in climate for a period up to 2050.
On this basis, scenarios that describe the potential impact of climate change and
adaptation solutions to avoid the worst-case future scenario are proposed. These
solutions have been compiled after several consultations with local communities
and decision makers following a bottom-up approach. The study also describes
the expected outcomes and results, and priority activities identified by communities
during the course of the assessment. We use downscaled climate projections that
were developed using ICIMOD datasets at a 10 x 10 km grid for predicting climate
change impacts for the period up to 2050. The projections show an increase in
temperature by as much as 1.7°C in 2050. Rainfall patterns are also predicted to
change, with a possible increase in total annual rainfall by 150–300 mm and a
shortening of the rainy season that will bring more frequent heavy rainfall events..."
Source/publisher:
HABITAT (United Nations Centre for Human Settlements)
Date of publication:
2019-06-24
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
HABITAT - Burma/Myanmar, Climate Change - Burma/Myanmar: general, Climate Change - Migration Burma/Myanmar, Glacier reduction - Impact on water supply
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
6.37 MB
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Description:
''A Department of Meteorology and Hydrology official last week attributed the unusually heavy mid-monsoon in Myanmar’s delta and coastal areas to the effects of climate change.
The official described the 2012 monsoon as “extreme” – lower Myanmar has received above-average rain, while falls in the central areas have been sparse – and said rainfall patterns had been significantly different than the 30-year average from 1961 to 1990.
“Myanmar averaged rainfall from one inch to three inches a day in the mid-monsoon season of July and August over that 30-year period. That regular monsoon distribution was advantageous for sectors such as agriculture and transportation. But we observed that in the last 10 years, daily rainfall in the mid-monsoon has increased to five or even six inches,” he said.
“Since the end of July, we have measured five to seven inches of daily rainfall in some areas of lower Myanmar. Over the past 10 years, there have also been days where we measured no rain in the mid-monsoon season.
“Either extreme – excessive rain or not enough rain – is a problem for the agriculture sector. Excess rain results in flooding in the paddy fields and on roads. This impacts on the economy and society more broadly.”
While some parts of the country, particularly Ayeyarwady and Bago regions and Kayin State, have experienced flooding this year, the central areas are in drought, he said...''
Aye Sapay Phyu
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Times
Date of publication:
2012-08-20
Date of entry/update:
2019-04-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Glacier reduction - Impact on water supply, Climate Change - Burma/Myanmar: general, Myanmar climate change networks
Language:
English
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Description:
''Sixty-one-year-old Daw Myint Shwe has had to move her house in Thingangyin village in Ayeyarwady Region four times.
“When the waves start lapping at the base of my house, it has to be moved. I move it a hundred feet or so back at a time. I can’t afford to build a new home so I just move it bit by bit. This year, three families had to move their houses – the year before it was twenty.”
She lives in a fishing village that’s part of the town of Labutta, which was one of the worst hit when Cyclone Nargis struck in 2008. She recalled the day that a group of politicians came to inspect the damage after the cyclone.
“It was high tide when they arrived so they could see how dangerously close our village is to the water. Erosion makes things worse – it’s why I have to keep moving my home. The government provided rehabilitation funds and asked us to move to a new place. The local school was destroyed so a new one was built about a mile-and-a-half away. Some families moved to be close to it and the temporary shelter, but everyone returned within two years. Some stayed as little as a month. The problem was that the jobs are here, near the water, and transport from the new village to this village is difficult because there are no roads.”
She said that parents worry about their children’s safety when they travel to school when the area floods, but that out of economic necessity moving isn’t viable.
“I was born here and I love the river, and I depend on it too. We all do, because we fish for a living. In summer, the big-time fishermen go to the Bay of Bengal to catch the bigger fish. But life is very difficult,” she said.
Ma Sandar Aye, 39, is one of Daw Myint Shwe’s neighbours. She and her husband fish for a living, but are finding it increasingly difficult to make enough to get by on due to difficult weather conditions.
“We haven’t been able to fish for over a month because the winds are so strong. The winds were never as strong as this in the past. I don’t know when the weather will improve and my husband and I are starting to think about looking for different work because it’s become too hard to survive.”
She said that on a good day, she and her husband can earn K10,000 (US$7.35) but the average amount is K2,500...''
Jessica Mudditt
Source/publisher:
Mizzima
Date of publication:
2017-04-01
Date of entry/update:
2019-04-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Climate Change - Burma/Myanmar: general, Myanmar climate change networks, Glacier reduction - Impact on water supply
Language:
English
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Description:
''Another day, another extreme weather event disrupting life on our planet.
Torrential rains associated with Myanmar’s monsoon season have wrought havoc. Floods have killed at least 11 people and forced the evacuation of more than 119,000 throughout the country on Monday, reports Reuters. Three of the deceased include soldiers who were helping with relief efforts. Another three civilians drowned in the state of Mon on the southern coast. At the Zaung Tu Dam, 7.79 inches of rain fell on Wednesday last week, setting a new daily record.
The monsoon rains—which generally run through October—help feed crops, but this year, they’ve already taken way too many lives. Flood warnings came after floods had already inundated entire neighborhoods during the most recent events, reports the New York Times. That may have played a role in the deadly nature of these rains. Deforestation could have as well according to some environmentalists who spoke with the Times. Groups also blamed deadly floods in 2015 on deforestation.
Many of the rivers in Myanmar remain above their danger levels as of Monday, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
In June, landslides and severe rains officially left nearly 20 dead in Myanmar (though local politicians and survivors say the number is likely higher). They also displaced more than a million people. The United Nations in Myanmar issued a statement Saturday that it is planning to offer any support possible to flood victims...''
Yessenia Funes
Source/publisher:
EARTHER
Date of publication:
2018-07-30
Date of entry/update:
2019-04-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Climate Change - Burma/Myanmar: general, Myanmar climate change networks, Glacier reduction - Impact on water supply
Language:
English
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Description:
''Myanmar’s major rivers are still less regulated compared
to other Asian rivers (Hedley et al., 2010). There are currently no dams on the mainstream of the Ayeyarwady River.
However, about 1300 km of embankments were built during
the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Hedley et al., 2010).
Between 1988 and 2003, the government of Myanmar constructed about 150 smaller dams and reservoirs and 265 river
water pumping stations along the tributaries (Ministry of
Forestry of the Union of Myanmar, 2005). The Ayeyarwady
River is subject to numerous potential dam projects, and
seven dams are currently in the planning stage (Allen et
al., 2010). Several dams are also planned along the Salween
River, which likely will impact both the hydrodynamic and
sediment load (Salmivaara et al., 2013). In 2011, planned hydropower dam constructions by the China Power Investment
Corporation near Myitsone at the confluence of the Mali and
N’Mai Rivers..''
Linda Taft, Mariele Evers
Source/publisher:
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
Date of publication:
2016-11-08
Date of entry/update:
2019-04-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
410.5 KB
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Description:
''The highest mountains in the world are the source of life for more than a billion people spread across Asia.
The Himalaya and Hindu Kush peaks contain vast amounts of ice locked in glaciers.
But scientists are warning that precious resource is disappearing at an alarming rate.
The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment report says a third of all glaciers could melt by the end of the century - even if we meet most the ambitious climate change targets.
That could threaten water supplies for 250 million people in eight countries.
The glaciers feed ten major river systems.
They may soon struggle to meet their fresh water, food and hydro-electric needs...''
Eklabya Sharma, Chandra Bhushan, Asad Rehman
Source/publisher:
Al Jazeera
Date of publication:
2019-02-05
Date of entry/update:
2019-03-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Policies, Climate Change Science - Ice Melting, Glacier reduction - Impact on water supply
Language:
English
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Sub-title:
Even radical climate change action won’t save glaciers, endangering 2 billion people
Description:
"At least a third of the huge ice fields in Asia’s towering mountain chain are doomed to melt due to climate change, according to a landmark report, with serious consequences for almost 2 billion people.
Even if carbon emissions are dramatically and rapidly cut and succeed in limiting global warming to 1.5C, 36% of the glaciers along in the Hindu Kush and Himalaya range will have gone by 2100. If emissions are not cut, the loss soars to two-thirds, the report found.
The glaciers are a critical water store for the 250 million people who live in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) region, and 1.65 billion people rely on the great rivers that flow from the peaks into India, Pakistan, China and other nations..."
Damian Carrington
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian"
Date of publication:
2018-02-04
Date of entry/update:
2019-02-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
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Sub-title:
Mountains, Climate Change, Sustainability and People
Description:
"This assessment report establishes the value of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) for the 240
million hill and mountain people across the eight countries sharing the region, for the 1.65
billion people in the river basins downstream, and ultimately for the world. Yet, the region and
its people face a range of old and new challenges moving forward, with climate change,
globalization, movement of people, conflict and environmental degradation. At the same time,
we also see incredible potential to meet these challenges in a sustainable manner.
In spite of its importance, relatively less is known about the HKH, its ecosystems and its
people, especially in the context of rapid change. Over the last few decades, there has been
more research on the region, but the knowledge gathered is often scattered, reaches a limited
audience, is sectoral or based on single disciplines and, most importantly, does not reach
decision-makers, whether they be in government, in local communities, or in the private
sector.
The rationale for this assessment is manifold. The first is about extending the accessible
knowledge base. There has been incredible value in bringing together people engaged in
generating knowledge about the HKH to collate existing knowledge. Plus, by working across
disciplines and countries, the assessment blends insights from different perspectives about the
mountains. Global assessments and programmes like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) can now benefit from an important knowledge source about this region, and
the book has great value in informing global debates and discourses. Then, there is a value
beyond the assessment report itself, in bringing together a network of people who can work
across disciplinary and geographical boundaries in the future.
But the main reason for the assessment goes beyond the collation of knowledge. It is to
answer a range of policy-oriented questions we all grapple with. Some of these are quite
scientific, such as what will happen with climate change, or what the impact of air pollution is.
Others are more targeted to actions that people should take, like pathways to sustainable access
to energy, or building resilience. The main objective of the assessment thus is to inform
decision-makers with the best science and knowledge we have. This assessment has made
important strides in this direction. A very important finding of the assessment is that while we
have significant knowledge gaps, we know enough to take action.
The publication of the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme’s
(HIMAP) flagship piece—The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment: Mountains, Climate
Change, Sustainability and People—is an important milestone in a larger process that aims to
bring together researchers, policy makers and the public to better manage the HKH so that
women, men and children can enjoy improved well-being in a healthy mountain environment.
The HIMAP process will continue to engage in science-policy discussions at country and
regional levels to enhance cooperation between communities, states and countries in managing
the HKH. It will also develop more targeted assessments about specific areas of concern that
emerge as we develop more knowledge about the region. Importantly, the authors of the
assessment have laid out mountain-specific priorities consistent with the Sustainable
v
Development Goals (SDGs), and this book provides an important baseline in reaching these
goals for the mountains and people of the HKH region. Perhaps the greatest good is that we
have an expanding community of practice working together to match and rise above the
challenges facing the HKH today".....KEYWORDS: Open Access book on Hindu Kush Himalaya; Climate Change in the Hindu Kush Himalaya; Sustainable Mountain Development; Environmental Assessment; HKH Assessment Report; Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in the HKH; Energy Needs in Asia; Water Security, Availability Use and Governance; Food Nutrition and Security in Asia; Disaster Risk Reduction and Increasing Resilience Poverty and Vulnerability in Mountain Livelihoods; Climate Change Adaptation; Governance, Drivers and Consequences of Migration; Environmental Governance in the Hindu Kush Himalaya; Sustainable Mountain Development.
Philippus Wester, Arabinda MishraAditi MukherjiArun Bhakta Shrestha
Source/publisher:
ICIMOD/Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP)
Date of publication:
2019-01-31
Date of entry/update:
2019-02-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
7.92 MB
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Description:
''Communication for Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security in Myanmar...''
Dr. Naoya Fujimoto, U Htary Naing, U Thaung Win, U Soe Khaing, U Aung Than, U Than Choung, Khin Thuzar Nwe
Source/publisher:
ABC International Development
Date of publication:
2017-04-06
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Rice, Other crops, Glacier reduction - Impact on water supply, Water resources of Burma/Myanmar, Smallholder farming and farmers in Burma/Myanmar
Language:
Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Description:
Abstract:
"The Greater Himalayas hold the largest mass of ice outside polar regions and are the source of
the 10 largest rivers in Asia. Rapid reduction in the volume of Himalayan glaciers due to climate change is
occurring. The cascading effects of rising temperatures and loss of ice and snow in the region are affecting, for
example, water availability (amounts, seasonality), biodiversity (endemic species, predator?prey relations),
ecosystem boundary shifts (tree-line movements, high-elevation ecosystem changes), and global feedbacks
(monsoonal shifts, loss of soil carbon). Climate change will also have environmental and social impacts that
will likely increase uncertainty in water supplies and agricultural production for human populations across
Asia. A common understanding of climate change needs to be developed through regional and local-scale
research so that mitigation and adaptation strategies can be identified and implemented. The challenges
brought about by climate change in the Greater Himalayas can only be addressed through increased regional
collaboration in scientific research and policy making.".....Keywords:
alpine ecosystem, cascading effects, climate change, glaciers, Himalayas, water resources
JIANCHU XU, EDWARD GRUMBINE, ARUN SHRESTHA, MATS ERIKSSON, XUEFEI YANG, YUN WANG, ANDREAS WILKES
Source/publisher:
2009 Society for Conservation Biology
Date of entry/update:
2017-10-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
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Description:
"Greater Himalayan glaciers are retreating and losing mass at rates comparable to glaciers in other regions of the world Assessments of future changes and their associated hydrological impacts are scarce, oversimplify glacier dynamics or include a limited number of climate models. Here, we use results from the latest ensemble of climate models in combination with a high-resolution glacio-hydrological model to assess the hydrological impact of climate change on two climatically contrasting watersheds in the Greater Himalaya, the Baltoro and Langtang watersheds that drain into the Indus and Ganges rivers, respectively. We show that the largest uncertainty in future runoff is a result of variations in projected precipitation between climate models. In both watersheds, strong, but highly variable, increases in future runoff are projected and, despite the different characteristics of the watersheds, their responses are surprisingly similar. In both cases, glaciers will recede but net glacier melt runoff is on a rising limb at least until 2050. In combination with a positive change in precipitation, water availability during this century is not likely to decline. We conclude that river basins that depend on monsoon rains and glacier melt will continue to sustain the increasing water demands expected in these areas. [Article preview]
W. W. Immerzeel, F. Pellicciotti, F. P. Bierkens
Source/publisher:
Geoscience 6, 742?745 (2013)
Date of publication:
2013-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2017-10-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
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