Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH)

About Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH):

• The HKH region stretches 3,500 kilometres and spans eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• The range has numerous high snow-capped peaks, with the highest point being Tirich Mir or Terichmir at 7,708 meters (25,289 ft) in Chitral, Pakistan.
• It is considered the Third Pole (after the North and South Poles) and has significant implications for climate.
• It contains the largest volume of ice and snow outside of the Arctic and Antarctica.
• The HKH region is the source of ten large Asian river systems: the Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong, Yangtse, Yellow River, and Tarim.
  • The basins of these rivers provide water to 1.9 billion people, a fourth of the world’s population.
• HKH may be divided into three main sections: the eastern Hindu Kush, the central Hindu Kush, and the western Hindu Kush, also known as the Bābā Mountains.

The inner valleys of the Hindu Kush see little rain and have desert vegetation.

Q1: What is the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)?

ICIMOD is an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre working on behalf of the people of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). It is based in Kathmandu, Nepal. It works for eight regional member countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. It serves the region through information and knowledge generation and sharing to find innovative solutions to critical mountain problems.

Source: Hindu Kush-Himalaya: Indus, Ganga, other river basins face significantly lower than normal snow persistence, says ICIMOD