New Delhi, April 22 -- Snow melted in the Ganga basin at the fastest rate in more than two decades this year, data from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) showed on Monday, raising the spectre of heat stress and water shortages in summer months and adverse impact on agriculture.
The snow persistence - the fraction of time snow remains on the ground after snowfall and measured using satellite data- in the Ganga basin was 24.1% below normal, the lowest in 23 years, said the ICIMOD annual snow update. It also showed that snow persistence over the Brahmaputra basin also fell to its lowest of 27.9% below normal this year.
"The cumulative impact of these persistent deficits is likely to result in substantially...