The Himalayan ecosystem, once the region’s natural water reservoir, is falling apart under the combined weight of deforestation, unregulated hydropower expansion, and reckless mining risking future of 1.5 billion people. Once self-regulating, the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra river systems now oscillate between floods and droughts, unable to support agriculture, recharge groundwater, or flush out pollutants. With glaciers melting at a rate of 8 billion tons per year, seasonal water flows have become erratic, leaving vast areas parched in summer and devastated by floods during monsoons.
Environmental Breakdown
The Indus Basin, once the backbone of Pakistan’s irrigation system, is now the second most water-stressed river system in the world, with groundwater plunging over a meter annually in Punjab and Sindh. In India, unpredictable monsoon patterns have slashed crop yields, pushing farmers into debt while rural economies crumble under the pressure. Bangladesh, whose delta once absorbed excess river water, is losing land to rising seas, forcing millions into climate migration. Meanwhile, cities blanketed by pollution from Lahore and Delhi to Dhaka face a growing public health disaster, as forests that once soaked up carbon have been wiped out, allowing air pollutants to choke life. The Yamuna and Ganges, rivers that once sustained major urban centers, now flow black with industrial waste, turning fresh water into a toxic hazard.
Devastating Legacy of Colonial Era
South Asia’s environmental breakdown is not a natural disaster—it is a manufactured catastrophe, rooted in a colonial development model that sought to control rivers, extract resources, and command geopolitical leverage. British policies were not merely about economic extraction; they were designed to pit India as a counterweight to China, ensuring that South Asia remained a divided and controlled region rather than a cohesive economic powerhouse.
The British re-engineered river systems through extensive canal irrigation, disregarding natural floodplains and groundwater recharge mechanisms. Large dams were constructed to fuel the imperial economy, with little concern for ecological sustainability. When the British left, the successor states—particularly India—zealously carried on this legacy, using hydropower, mining, and deforestation as tools to project regional dominance.
India alone has built over 5,000 large dams, with projects like the Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand submerging 42 villages, while the Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project in Arunachal Pradesh has accelerated riverbank erosion and disrupted ecosystems. Nepal, in pursuit of economic gain, has built over 100 hydropower projects, starving downstream ecosystems by reducing the sediment flow of rivers by up to 90%. Pakistan’s Mangla and Tarbela Dams have altered the Indus so drastically that coastal erosion in Sindh has wiped out villages, while Bangladesh struggles with the impact of upstream water diversions.
If rivers were freed from excessive diversion and allowed to maintain their natural flows, they could support both agriculture and inland navigation, providing a cheaper, more sustainable alternative to road and rail transport
The reckless pursuit of this outdated model has ripped apart South Asia’s ecological stability, pushing the region into an existential crisis. With rivers no longer able to sustain agriculture and groundwater reserves vanishing at an alarming rate, the region is now locked in cycles of environmental and economic vulnerability. The result is not only internal instability but also rising regional tensions, as water disputes between India and Pakistan over the Indus, and between India and Bangladesh over the Teesta, erode diplomatic trust.
Breaking the Colonial Trap
China’s dominance over the Tibetan Plateau, the source of South Asia’s rivers, gives Beijing immense leverage, making the region geopolitically vulnerable. But a paradigm shift could turn China from a geopolitical competitor into a partner in prosperity. Beijing must be an integral part of restoring the Himalayan ecosystem, as it controls the headwaters of the region’s great rivers. The Indus, Brahmaputra, and Sutlej originate in Tibet, and China’s damming projects and water diversions have a cascading effect downstream.
With over 87,000 glaciers, the Tibetan Plateau is the "Water Tower of Asia," yet its glacial loss is accelerating, with up to 67% of ice projected to vanish by 2100 under current warming trends. Beijing’s approach has largely been unilateral, but its economic interests are deeply tied to South Asia’s stability. As a major investor in Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh, China stands to lose from climate-driven economic collapse and regional conflict over water. By engaging in a cooperative water management framework, Beijing could not only ease regional tensions but also promote economic sustainability, ensuring that its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) does not falter due to environmental instability.
Food Security and Regional Trade
South Asia’s rivers, however, are more than just sources of irrigation—they can be revitalised to serve as lifelines for both food security and regional connectivity. The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin sustains over 500 million people, yet the potential of its waterways for trade remains largely untapped. The Indus, which once supported extensive riverine trade, has been locked into a rigid irrigation system, reducing its ability to serve as a natural transport corridor.
If rivers were freed from excessive diversion and allowed to maintain their natural flows, they could support both agriculture and inland navigation, providing a cheaper, more sustainable alternative to road and rail transport. Bangladesh, for example, still maintains an active inland water transport system, while India has taken steps to revive water-based trade along the Ganges, yet full-scale regional cooperation remains elusive. If South Asian states worked together to restore natural river flows, they could unlock immense economic potential, reducing transport costs, enhancing food distribution, and linking rural economies to regional markets.
To pull back from the brink, South Asia must break free from this colonial-era development trap and restore the Himalayan ecosystem. A Himalayan Restoration Authority (HRA) must be established to scale up reforestation, rein in destructive infrastructure projects, and revive traditional floodplain management. Industrial pollution must be clamped down on, while groundwater extraction needs to be pulled back to prevent total depletion.
Most importantly, rivers must be reclaimed as both ecological and economic assets, ensuring that restored water flows support agriculture while reviving historic inland trade routes. But this cannot be done without China, whose participation in sustainable water-sharing agreements and transboundary ecological restoration would signal a regional shift toward cooperation rather than competition. Instead of stumbling along with uncoordinated national policies, the region must step up and recognise that restoring the Himalayas is the only way to secure South Asia’s future. Without this, the region will remain trapped in a cycle of environmental collapse, economic distress, and strategic vulnerability, unable to break free from the consequences of a flawed colonial legacy.