Milli’s Grandpa was talking with his old friend, Mr. Gupta, who was visiting from India. “How is your area handling the drought?”, her grandfather asked. Mr. Gupta answered: “Glacier melt is helping us fight the drought. Our lakes are have more water again, so we can still water our crops. But what happens if we don’t get enough snow in the mountains? The glacier is getting smaller and smaller each year.”
“A glacier in India?” Milli thought. “How can there be a glacier in India? It’s much too hot there.”
After Mr. Gupta left, Milli asked her grandfather about the glacier in India. He got a map and showed Milli where Mr. Gupta lived in northern India, close to the Himalayan mountains. He said, “When the glacier melts, the water runs off and feeds rivers and streams. These waterways bring water to the farming areas in the south. Millions of people in the region need that water. Glaciers need to have sufficient snow each year to bring water to people living there.”
Her grandfather went on: “About 2% of all the water on earth is frozen in glaciers. That doesn’t sound like much, but most of the water on earth is salt water, in the oceans. People can’t use salt water for drinking or cooking. Most of earth’s freshwater (68%) is stored in the glaciers. Glaciers are our largest supply of fresh water! Glacial meltwater is used for irrigation, hydropower, and by people living downstream. They are a good water resource for one-third of the world’s population.”
Milli’s Grandpa also said, “Other than Greenland and Antarctica, 26% of the land on the other continents is supplied with water from glaciers and snow. Almost 1 out of every 5 people (1.4 billion) depend on that water. The glaciers act like huge water towers, storing water during the cold seasons and releasing it during dry summers.”
“That’s super cool, Grandpa!” Milli exclaimed. “People will never have to worry about having enough water!” But he replied, “Unfortunately, glaciers are shrinking all over the world, and lose around 225 gigatons of water every year, which is 225 billion tons! As they shrink, they provide less and less water. Around 45% of glaciers have passed their peak and are declining.” “The loss is worst in the U.S. and northern Canada, but it’s also bad in the Himalayas and in South America.”
“Oh my,” said Milli, “I had no idea!” Her grandfather said, “Water is so important, but most people don’t even know where their water comes from. That’s why we have to protect our sources of water and take action so we always have fresh water to use.”
“I am certainly going to learn more about this!” said Milli. “Time for me to figure out what I can do to help.”
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