The documentary film, titled ‘Revealed: the Himalayan Meltdown,' examines how shrinking Himalayan glaciers and rising sea levels are affecting people in China, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.
It features case studies and proposes some solutions, which are locally adapted.
14 June 2011: A 45-minute documentary film, co-produced by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Arrowhead Films, focuses on how the melting glaciers of Himalayan mountains and rising sea-levels are affecting the lives and livelihoods of an estimated 1.3 billion people in China, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.
The documentary, titled “Revealed: the Himalayan Meltdown,” is now airing on the Discovery Channel Asia. It highlights that although science cannot indicate the precise rate of melting, evidence exists of the impacts of climate change on the glaciers in the Himalayas. The movie warns that the melting of glaciers creates an uncertain future for many communities as the water source to seven of the region’s largest rivers disappears.
The documentary features case studies and proposes some solutions, which are locally adapted, including establishing early warning systems and working with local communities to raise awareness of potential risks. For instance, a community in Ladakh, India, is harnessing the flowing water from the glacier to freeze it for later usage. In Bangladesh, communities are planting mangrove trees to prevent erosion and sediments from being washed away into the sea, to preserve their agricultural land. [UNDP Press Release]