Glaciers in the Baspa basin of Himachal Pradesh are receding fast. The trend can soon create scarcity of water in the region, according to researchers from the Ahmedabad-based Marine and Water Resources Group of the Indian Space Research Organisation. Of the 30 glaciers in the basin, the researchers studied 19 representing an area of about 140 square kilometres. They found that 18 glaciers were retreating. During 1962-2001, water stored in them dipped by 23 per cent and they retreated by 19 per cent on an average. In some cases, the loss was about 50 per cent.

Glaciers located at lower altitudes showed greater retreat rates