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Himalaya Diwas was observed on 9 September 2026 to highlight the ecological, cultural and economic importance of the Himalaya.
Uttarakhand officially declared the day in 2014 and held the first state-recognised observance on 9 September 2015; the idea came from Anil Prakash Joshi of HESCO.
ICIMOD's 2026 glacier reports found Hindu Kush Himalaya glaciers lost about 12% of their area between 1990 and 2020, with ice loss doubling since 2000.
ICIMOD's Snow Update 2026 put snow persistence 27.8% below normal — the fourth straight year of decline and the lowest in over two decades.
Intergovernmental knowledge centre for the Hindu Kush Himalaya; established 5 December 1983; 8 regional member countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan
Dehradun-based NGO whose founder Anil Prakash Joshi conceived Himalaya Diwas
One of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008), aimed at monitoring and safeguarding the Himalayan ecosystem
Key: Coordinated by the Department of Science and Technology
GS Paper I > Geography (glaciers, Himalayan rivers); GS Paper III > Environment, Disaster Management (GLOF)
General Awareness > Important Days
The fraction of time snow stays on the ground after snowfall; a measure of seasonal water storage
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood — sudden release of water when a moraine or ice dam holding a glacial lake fails
Mountain region spanning eight countries from Afghanistan to Myanmar; source of major rivers including the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra