No doubt, Himalayan glaciers are melting fast: Pachauri

Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which came under fire for an error in predicting that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035, said on Tuesday that the contentions of snowfall discrediting the meltdown were incorrect and there was no ambiguity that the glaciers were melting.
He was speaking at a conference on Eco-Housing held here. “People may say that our Himalayan glaciers are not melting. That is incorrect. There is no doubt that the glaciers are melting at a rapid rate. Unfortunately, there has been very little research done on this in our country. Not enough measurements have been taken. This could cause the rivers in north India to flood. There is a huge possibility that floods and droughts could rise. [We have seen] floods in Rajasthan which never experienced flooding,” he said, driving home the problem of water scarcity.
In a veiled defence of his position in the aftermath of the controversy, Mr. Pachauri said: “There are still some people who think outside the ambit of science and disbelieve the phenomenon of global warming. Some powerful vested interests don’t wish to bring about a change in their lifestyles. When I raise my voice on the ill-effects [of climate change] on the poor, they don’t like [that view].”
Source: climatechallengeindia.com