Arjun Sharma

Ice stupas, the contested water towers of Ladakh

While ice stupas have been hailed as sustainable solutions to the water problems of Ladakh’s villages, the locals think otherwise.

Posted on 24 Oct, 2019 04:38 PM

Ladakh, the arid Himalayan desert, is a high elevation borderland located close to the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir, in India. Water here originates from glaciers in the high altitude mountains that tower over Ladakh’s villages. Simple earthwork irrigation channels tap meltwater from streams that originate from these glaciers.

Ice Stupas near Phyang monastery (Image Courtsey: Sumita Roy Dutta, Wikimedia Commons)

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