I am very pleased to present this report on the state of the glaciers in the Hindu Kush-
Himalayan region. The study represents a major advance on ICIMOD's first publication on
the state of glaciers in 2001. Close collaboration with specialists from the different countries
has enabled the preparation of a comprehensive account of the glacier cover of the entire
region using a consistent approach and methodology based on remote sensing information
from a limited time period. The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region encompasses more than 4 …

The Hindu Kush–Himalayan (HKH) region encompasses a mountainous area of more than
4,192,000 km 2 in the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar,
Nepal, and Pakistan. The region is one of the most dynamic, fragile, and complex mountain
systems in the world as a result of tectonic activity and the rich diversity of climates,
hydrology, and ecology. This high region is the freshwater tower of South Asia; it has the
highest concentration of snow and glaciers outside the polar regions, giving it the name the …