 The Pamirs mountain range located primarily in Tajikistan , has approximately eight thousand glaciers , many of which are in a general state of retreat . During the 20th century , the glaciers of Tajikistan lost 20 km3 ( 4 @.@ 8 cu mi ) of ice . The 70 km ( 43 mi ) long <unk> Glacier , which is the largest in Tajikistan and the largest non @-@ polar glacier on Earth , retreated 1 km ( 0 @.@ 62 mi ) between the years 1933 and 2006 , and lost 44 km2 ( 17 sq mi ) of its surface area due to shrinkage between the years 1966 and 2000 . Tajikistan and neighboring countries of the Pamir Range are highly dependent upon glacial runoff to ensure river flow during droughts and the dry seasons experienced every year . The continued demise of glacier ice will result in a short @-@ term increase , followed by a long @-@ term decrease in glacial melt water flowing into rivers and streams . 
