People living in Spiti river basin, located in the north-eastern part of Himachal Pradesh, depend heavily on seasonal snow and glacier melt for their water requirements. The basin is more susceptible to climate change, as it indicates a higher rise in temperature than other parts of Himachal Pradesh. This work assesses glaciers' current health and projects future changes under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway) climate change scenarios. The total glaciated area in Spiti basin is 550.5 sq. km containing 21.42 ± 3.86 Giga-tonnes (Gt) of stored water. The basin has observed a mass loss of 8.89 Gt from 1985 to 2013. The future projection for the worst-case scenario (RCP8.5) suggests, 4.1 °C rise in temperature and 3.4% increase in winter precipitation by 2070 (average, 2065–2075), from 1985 to 2005 baseline period. Under this climate change scenario, the Spiti basin is likely to experience 84.8% loss in glacier stored water, 71.8% reduction in glaciated area from observed values of 2014. Besides, 76% of total glaciers may disappear by 2070 under RCP 8.5 scenario, which will alter the village communities' water security status, thereby highlighting the urgency to develop an adaptation strategy for the region.

生活在喜马al尔邦东北部斯皮蒂河流域的人们严重依赖季节性降雪和冰川融化来满足用水需求。该流域更容易受到气候变化的影响，因为它比喜马al尔邦的其他地区的温度升高得更高。这项工作评估了冰川的当前健康状况，并预测了RCP 4.5和RCP 8.5（代表性浓度途径）气候变化情景下的未来变化。Spiti盆地的总冰川面积为550.5平方公里，包含21.42±3.86千兆吨（Gt）的蓄水量。从1985年到2013年，流域的质量损失为8.89 Gt。对最坏情况的未来预测（RCP8.5）显示，到2070年，温度升高4.1°C，冬季降水增加3.4％（平均，2065年） –2075年），从1985年到2005年是基准期。