"Next Maha Kumbh May Only Happen on Sandy Rivers...": Sonam Wangchuk Highlights Glacier Crisis in Letter to PM Modi

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has raised concerns about the future of India’s rivers, specifically highlighting the potential for the next Maha Kumbh to be held on dry sand. In an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Wangchuk expressed his worries that the rivers, which play a crucial role in the religious gathering, may dry up due to the “fast melting” of the Himalayan glaciers, the primary source of many of India’s rivers.

In his letter, Wangchuk urged the Prime Minister to take action, underscoring the urgency of glacier preservation. “India needs to take a lead in glacier preservation as we have the Himalayas, and our sacred rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna come out of them,” he stated. The environmentalist, based in Ladakh, called attention to the alarming rate at which the glaciers are melting, warning that if this continues, India’s major rivers, including the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Indus, could become seasonal rivers in the coming decades.

Wangchuk warned that if the current trajectory persists, the next Maha Kumbh, could take place on the dry remnants of these sacred rivers. “As we all know, the Himalayan glaciers are melting very fast, and if this and the accompanying deforestation continue at the current rate, in a few decades, our sacred rivers like Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Indus might become seasonal rivers,” he wrote. “This may also mean that the next Maha Kumbh might only happen on the sandy remains of the sacred river.”

Additionally, he expressed concern over the lack of public awareness regarding the severity of the issue. He called for immediate action, proposing the creation of a commission to assess the state of the Himalayan glaciers, an essential step towards addressing the looming crisis.

Sonam Wangchuk also expressed his admiration for various environmental initiatives of the Prime Minister, but emphasised that more needs to be done to protect the glaciers. He suggested a meeting with the Prime Minister, where a group of community members from Ladakh could present a block of ice from one of the region’s rapidly melting glaciers as a symbolic message from the climate-affected people.