Himalayas WATER-ENERGY NEXUS IN THE

The region at the base of the Himalayas is experiencing extreme climate volatility, with record-setting floods and severe droughts disrupting both water and energy security. India's power grid relies heavily on water-intensive coal and hydropower, leading to chronic electricity shortages when water is scarce and infrastructure damage during floods. These challenges have triggered rural-to-urban migration, civil unrest, and farmer suicides. To mitigate these risks, the document recommends that India shift toward wind and solar energy and suggests the U.S. provide financial and technical support through initiatives like the U.S.-India Clean Energy Finance Scheme.

• Climate extremes in the Himalayan region are increasing in frequency and unpredictability, with Pakistan and India ranking fifth and tenth respectively in the 2016 Germanwatch Global Climate Risk Index. This volatility is evidenced by record-setting floods in 2015 and 2016 and a severe drought in India that was the worst in 69 years.
• India's energy security is compromised by its dependence on water-intensive power sources, specifically hydroelectric dams and coal-fired plants. Water scarcity causes plants to shut down and reduces hydropower generation—which was 6% lower during the 2015–2016 drought than the previous year—while extreme rainfall and floods destroy infrastructure, such as the 2013 collapse of Chorabari Lake banks which destroyed at least 29 hydropower projects.
• Water and energy instability are driving severe societal disruptions in India, including the abandonment of villages, rapid rural-to-urban migration, and civil unrest. This includes thousands of farmer suicides in 2015 and street fighting in Tamil Nadu in 2016 over limited water supplies.
• There is significant local and governmental resistance to large-scale energy projects in the Himalayas. Approximately 200 planned large hydropower plants as of 2015 faced intense opposition, including protests against the Dibang Dam in Arunachal Pradesh in May 2016 that resulted in two deaths.
• The U.S. views India as a stable partner and has committed nearly US$2 billion to clean energy projects and research. To support regional stability and energy security, the document recommends the U.S. provide seed funding via the U.S.-India Clean Energy Finance Scheme (launched late 2016) and technical support for wind and solar power.

APA

Spangler, C. N. (2017). Himalayas WATER-ENERGY NEXUS IN THE. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/573/2ogyi32f86_HIMALAYAS.pdf

Chicago

Spangler, Chelsea N. Himalayas WATER-ENERGY NEXUS IN THE. WWF International, 2017. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/573/2ogyi32f86_HIMALAYAS.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Spangler |first1=Chelsea N. |title=Himalayas WATER-ENERGY NEXUS IN THE |publisher=WWF International |date=2017 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/573/2ogyi32f86_HIMALAYAS.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{spangler2017himalayas, author = {Spangler, Chelsea N.}, title = {{Himalayas WATER-ENERGY NEXUS IN THE}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2017}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/573/2ogyi32f86_HIMALAYAS.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }