Relying on a complex interplay of seasonal weather such as the monsoon and the specific dynamics of a region that is deeply vulnerable to climate change and socio-economic pressures, the water flows downstream to multiple countries and forms a web of economically crucial rivers: the Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra (Yarlungtsanpo), Irrawaddy, Salween (Nu),

Mekong (Lancang), Yangtse (Jinsha), Yellow River (Huanghe), and Tarim (Dayan). All across the Hindu Kush Himalayas, the health of a river or local spring, the threat of flood disaster, and the availability of water to farmlands and swelling cities can play a key role in the survival of ecosystems, communities, and individuals.