Why is it in the news?

• Asian Development Bank recently launched Building Adaptation and Resilience in the Hindukush Himalayas (HKH) Initiative.

About the Initiative

• The initiative supports Bhutan and Nepal in climate adaptation.
• Aims to provide essential information for effective climate adaptation strategies.
• Facilitates understanding of risks and decision-making on disaster risk reduction.
• Includes measures for adaptation and risk transfer solutions, such as insurance.

About HKH

• Extends from the Hindu Kush valleys in Afghanistan to the hill and mountain systems of Myanmar.
• Home to the largest ice reserves outside of the polar regions.
• Feeds 10 major rivers, including the Ganga, sustaining the livelihoods of billions.
• HKH region is warming faster than the global average.
• 75% of glaciers in Bhutan and Nepal could melt by the end of the century if global temperature rises by 3°C.
• Economic losses in HKH from disasters amounted to $45 billion from 1985 to 2014, the highest in any mountainous region globally.

Initiatives to Protect HKH

• ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) works towards climate-resilient HKH.
• Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP) is coordinated by ICIMOD.
• India’s National Mission on Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, contributes to HKH preservation.