A report released at the United Nation's annual climate summit in Durban, South Africa confirmed that the Himalayan glaciers are fast receding due to climate change.

Findings show that in the last 30 years, Nepal's glaciers have shrunk by 21 percent while Bhutan's by 22 percent.

The report is considered the most comprehensive assessment of the extent of Himalayan ice melt at present.

Similarly, a report "Caring for our Australian Alps Catchments: Summary Report for Policy Makers" released in October revealed that 60 per cent of Australia's 235 Alps catchments are in poor to moderate condition and most are declining due to climate change.

According to the report, even with a moderate degree of warming in the coming decades, there are serious risks to Australia's Alps catchments, with consequences for water yields, biodiversity and soil erosion.

"These reports provide a new baseline and location-specific information for understanding climate change in one of the most vulnerable ecosystems in the world," said Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Scientists say the effects of climate change to the Himalayan glaciers could be devastating, as the region provides food and energy for 1.3 billion people living in downstream river basins.

Referring to Himalayas as the "third pole," environmental campaigners say the melting glaciers are the biggest potential contributors to rising sea levels after the north and south poles.

According to scientists, glacial melting will result to huge lakes that can devastate mountain communities downstream, adding that glaciers could disappear within decades and bring drought to a large part of Asia.