As part of the NIAS Climate Change, Civil Society and Peace (C3SP) initiative in collaboration with GPPAC South Asia, Urja R Kudalkar, research intern at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, carried out documentation on the story of the Ice Stupa artificial glaciers of Phyang village, drawing on secondary sources to trace how Sonam Wangchuk's Ice Stupas are helping Ladakh's farmers adapt to climate-driven water scarcity.
“In the Himalayan Dessert Mountains of Ladakh in extreme north of India, a small village has found its way for surviving climate change: IF YOU CANNOT STOP IT, ADAPT TO IT”.
Sonam Wangchuk the engineer and educator from Phyang village in Ladakh, is the man behind the solution to a water crisis in the Ladakh. In the cold desert region of Ladakh, farmers from Phyang depend on water from glaciers to grow crops such as barley and vegetables.
However, climate change has caused glaciers to melt at the wrong time. There is plenty of water in summer, but very little during spring leaving deadly gap right in the plantation month of April and May. Since Ladakh receives very little rainfall around 50mm, this water shortage became a serious problem.
In order to solve this issue, Sonam Wangchuk came up with the unique idea of “ICE STUPA” inspired by his mentor Chewang Norphel also known as ice man who had earlier created artificial glaciers, but the problem was they would melt away before the farmers could use them. Given this, Wangchuk realized that the shape of the ice was important. Instead of making wide, flat glaciers, he created tall cone-shaped structures that looked like Buddhist stupas. During winter, water is carried through pipes from upstream water source at higher elevation. The freezing temperatures (-20 degree Celsius) turn the sprayed water into layers of ice, forming a giant cone. This method uses only gravity and natural cold weather, without any pumps or electricity.
In the winter of 2013-2014, Wangchuk along with his team at SECMOL (Student’s Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh) tested their prototype on the banks of Indus River at Phyang at lowest altitude and warmest place possible. Within two months they had built two-storey cone of ice storing 150,000 Litres of water which stayed intact. For farmers of Phyang field that sat dry through April now receive a steady trickle of melt water as the cone slowly shrinks through springs. Land that was barren desert has been planted with 5000 trees. Through his Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL), he continues training a new generation in water conservation, sustainable farming, and ecotourism so that Ladakhis can stay in Ladakh.
Today, more than 30 Ice Stupas have been built across Ladakh. Every winter, as the pipes are laid and the first spray of water rises into the cold air, Wangchuk’s team holds on to the same belief: that a cone of frozen water, built by a community, can hold back the desert for one more season.
Reference
Pandey, S. (2014, December 29). Crowdfunded ‘ice stupas’ help Ladakh adapt to climate change. Climate Change News. https://www.climatechangenews.com/2014/12/29/crowdfunded-ice-stupas-help-ladakh-adapt-to-climate-change/
Council on Energy, Environment and Water. (n.d.). How Sonam Wangchuk’s ice stupas tackle Ladakh’s water scarcity. CEEW. https://www.ceew.in/sustainable-agriculture-initiatives/ice-stupa-artificial-glaciers
About the Author:
Urja Kudalkar is a Post graduate student at Department of Public Policy, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences. She is also a research intern at the National Institute of advanced studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.
