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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Kashmir Melting Glaciers - Dar
HEADLINE: Glaciers in Kashmir are Rapidly Melting, Causing Concern About Water Shortages
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 12/24/2021, 2:26 pm
BYLINE: Zubair Dar
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Srinagar, Kashmir
VIDEOGRAPHER: Zubair Dar
PRODUCER: Zubair Dar
SCRIPT WRITER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: KE(1st), Bowman
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original | VOA Urdu Service
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:25
VID APPROVED BY: Holly Franko
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[The glaciers in the Himalayas provide water to nearly 25% of the world’s population. But the glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. VOA's Zubair Dar has more in this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.]]
((NARRATOR))
Six glaciers in the Himalayas have nearly vanished since 1980, according to satellite data mapping. And researchers say hundreds of glaciers in the region are melting… all part of the impact of a warming planet.
((Shakil Ahmed Romshoo, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences )) ((Male in English))
“… every year you go to a glacier, we are seeing on an average almost a meter of thickness decrease in the glaciers. So, that gives an idea about the status of glaciers melting in Jammu Kashmir area.”
((NARRATOR))
In the Himalayan region, over 14,000 small and large alpine glaciers have been identified, including those in India and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Some of the region’s biggest glaciers can be found in areas between northeastern India and Afghanistan.
((Dr. Govind Singh, Asst. Professor of Environmental Studies, Delhi)) ((Male in Hindi)) ((Skype))
“We are seeing glaciers melt very fast and the way they melt is such that we can't estimate how long they will last. We can’t guess how much water will flow into our rivers
in the next 5 to 20 years. So if this continues, I can see conflicts and disputes in the future between Pakistan and India over water shortages.”
((NARRATOR))
Shifts in ice and glacier reserves have already had an impact on agriculture. Farmers in Indian-administered Kashmir are turning paddy fields into apple orchards.
((Shabir Ahmed, Farmer)) ((Male in Kashmiri))
“There is a problem of water in the land. The crop is not growing properly. Pollution has increased. There was snow on the mountains. It was slowly melting. The annual paddy crop suffered a loss of 50%.”
((NARRATOR))
Local agriculture sustains the bulk of India's and Pakistan's populations, and the two nations have a long history of disagreements over water management.
Those disagreements, experts say, will intensify as the glaciers disappear.
((Dr. Govind Singh, Asst. Professor of Environmental Studies, Delhi)) ((Male in Hindi)) ((Skype))
“If the two countries don’t stop fighting, not only will the disputes increase as we can already foresee but also our two nations’ water sustainability will also be impacted. I think we have reached a very interesting point here that not only do the two countries need to stop fighting for ethical and human rights reasons but also because of environmental reasons.”
((NARRATOR))
And South Asia is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Over the next 30 years, if nothing is done, researchers predict water shortages, drought, and rising sea levels could create some 60 million climate refugees in South Asia.
((For Zubair Dar in Srinagar, Kashmir – Bezhan Hamdard – VOANEWS))
NewsML Media TopicsEnvironment, Economy, Business and Finance
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateDecember 24, 2021 14:59 EST
Brand / Language ServiceUS Agency for Global Media
