South Asia: Crowded Land, Drying Rivers

South Asia shelters a quarter of the world population with only one twentieth of its freshwater resources, which isn't always available where or when it's needed. This is made worse by widespread poverty, unregulated economic growth and now, climate change. Rising temperatures are melting glaciers in the Himalayas, the origin of major rivers flowing across the Indian subcontinent. Reduced river flow can upset water balance for millions. Meanwhile, rapidly swelling glacial lakes can trigger flash floods. Coping with these challenges needs integrated river basin management where neighbouring countries sharing waters cooperate and coordinate better.

This film captures the highlights of a 2008 study, Vulnerability Assessment of Freshwater Resources to Environmental Change, carried out by researchers at the Asian Institute Technology (AIT) for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).