The Cryosphere and Delta

The Cryosphere and Delta of the Ganga River Basin (GRB) are interconnected transboundary regions spanning the Tibet Autonomous Region (China), Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. Despite their significance in the hydrological budget and vulnerability to climate change, current riparian policies overlook their transboundary nature, impacting water availability, flood control, biodiversity, and livelihoods in the entire river basin. Critical phenomena like glacial retreat, permafrost thawing, microbial activity in the Cryosphere, land subsidence, sea-level rise, and water scarcity in the Delta are not adequately addressed in existing frameworks. This chapter emphasizes the need for an integrated, multilateral approach to managing these regions, recognizing their upstream-downstream linkages. The chapter explores two questions: why these regions lack prominence in the GRB management plans and how their inclusion can reshape strategies. Employing a multidisciplinary approach—analysing cartographic maps, archival records, policy documents, and development plans, along with ethnographic methods such as interviews and field observations—the chapter reveals complexities within these fragile regions shaping the river basin. It advocates for urgent integration of the Cryosphere and Delta into river basin plans, emphasizing multilateral cooperation, improved data sharing, and the development of an Integrated Approach to River Basin Management. Such comprehensive strategies are vital to enhance climate resilience and sustainably manage water resources across riparian nations, addressing environmental, hydrological, and socio-economic challenges in these critical transboundary regions.