World Water Day 2025: Glacier Prevention

According to the last estimates by UN Water, 2.4 billion people live in water-stressed countries. Furthermore, the challenges they face are compounded by climate change, conflict and developmental stress. Every year, World Water Day is celebrated on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for sustainable management of freshwater resources.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6

The fight for safe water is emphasised in SDG 6 that focuses on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. To achieve this global goal by 2030, the current rates of progress have to be increased sixfold for drinking water, fivefold for sanitation and threefold for hygiene.

Theme of World Water Day 2025: Glacier Preservation

Our glaciers are melting faster than ever. In 2023, glaciers lost more than 600 gigatons of water, the largest mass loss registered in 50 years.

The damage created by climate change has further propelled the nations to urgently think about water cycle, meltwater flows, sea level rise and droughts. Glacier preservation is a top priority as the world works together to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Recognising this, the theme for World Water Day 2025 is Glacier Preservation. It focuses on how to put glacier preservation at the core of tackling climate change and the global water crisis. As declared by UN General Assembly, 2025 is also the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP 2025).

Why Glaciers?

About 70% of Earth’s freshwater exists as snow or ice and more than 2 billion people globally, rely on water from glaciers, snowmelt and mountain run-off for drinking, agriculture and energy production.

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C could save glaciers in two-thirds of World Heritage sites. However, the continuance of the current levels of emissions will eradicate half of the 50 World Heritage sites by 2100.

This puts glacier preservation as the top priority if we want to preserve these critical water sources, ensure long- term prosperity and promote global sustainability.

India’s Efforts Towards Glacial Protection

The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is recognised as India’s ‘water tower’ and a vital provider of essential ecosystem. However, the declining health and well-being of IHRs natural resources has put a major question on sustainable development in the region and potential disastrous impact on the entire country. According to the 4th Biennial Update Report submitted by India to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the glacier snout recession has accelerated in the last few decades, leaving to thinking and reduction in length and area.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) in 2024 finalised the criteria for Risk Indexing of Glacial Lakes in the Indian Himalayan Region. This indexing will help understand the potential socio-economic impacts or a GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood) and close monitoring of glacial health in the Himalayas.

The focused attempt to protect the glaciers is also noticeable in the programmes under National Action Plan on Climate Change and declaration of national parks or protected areas, such as, Gangotri National Park, Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, and Great Himalayan National Park.

ISRO, India’s national space agency has been tasked with an ambitious project to monitor all Himalayan glacier above 10 square kilometres to calculate future water availability and also track the health and state of glaciers.

Localised education and awareness programs in the IHR need to match the ecological realities and land use patters in the area must undergo a change if glacier conservation has to be taken seriously. Stronger legislative measures and collaborative efforts to integrate scientific research, policy, and community engagement are the way forward to drive real action and long- term change.