India and Switzerland have signed a joint research pact to study glaciers in the Himalayas and the Alps, deepening scientific cooperation between two countries that host some of the world’s most closely watched ice reserves.

The agreement will enable Indian and Swiss researchers to share data, run joint field expeditions and compare glacier retreat patterns across the two mountain ranges. Officials said the collaboration will focus on mass-balance measurements, meltwater modelling and the downstream effects on river systems that sustain hundreds of millions of people.

Both the Himalayas and the Alps are losing ice at accelerating rates. Swiss glaciers have shrunk dramatically in recent years, while Himalayan glaciers feed major Asian rivers including the Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra, making their fate a matter of water security.

The pact also covers researcher exchanges and joint publications, and is expected to feed into global climate assessments. Switzerland’s long-running glacier monitoring programme is among the oldest in the world, while India operates high-altitude research stations in the Himalayas.

The agreement was signed during bilateral science and technology talks and adds to a growing list of India-Europe research partnerships on climate.