Vertical limit: Mission Ice Stupa
This one deserves a bow. Inspired by
Chewang Norphel, who is making artificial glaciers at minimal cost
in the Ladakh region, here’s one who is taking things to newer heights –
literally. Sonam Wangchuk is looking at improving water supply in the moonscape
land of Ladakh by building tall ice stupas that melt at a slower rate than flat
ground ice.
Ladakh is an anomaly of sorts.
Located high up in the Himalayas, close to the water source, its landscape is barren,
windy and stark – like a desert. Water from glaciers are the only source of
water for a mainly agrarian community, but that water is scarce and becoming
even lesser, thanks to glaciers melting at an alarming pace and the water
simply flowing away down the rivers and streams.
While Norphel’s artificial
glaciers may come as an answer, more can be done.
So, Wangchuk thought of bringing the
glaciers – which are built at a much higher altitude –
much lower and closer to the villages. His answer has come in the form of
vertical glaciers – ice stupas. The prototype he built was two storeys high and
meant nearly 1,50,000 litres of water, which could be used during the harvest
season of April and May. Built on the banks of River Indus, the stupa stood the
test of warmer temperatures and didn’t melt as soon as the ice around it!
Scientifically speaking, Wangchuk has
reduced the surface area for the sun and winds to erode the ice and melt it
away by making a vertical ice structure.
The project has garnered a lot of
excitement among the local community and His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang
Rinpochey has expressed a wish for a bigger version of the Ice Stupa glacier
(many stupas standing atop an artificial glacier) on the top of the vast
deserts that overlook the Phyang village in Ladakh. Wangchuk is now looking at
crowd sourcing for his wonderful project and has a strong team to work wonders
with the Ice Stupa glacier. For more, check out https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ice-stupa-artificial-glaciers-of-ladakh
or write to icestupa@gmail.com
PS: Does Sonam Wangchuk ring a bell
yet?
Why, Aamir Khan took that name for Three
Idiots blockbuster movie. Wangchuk’s school SEMCOL Alternative School in
Leh, which is known for innovative solutions for Ladakh’s educational and
environmental issues, also featured in the movie.
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