Photo story | One way to fight climate change: Make your own glaciers

Among 600+ submissions to the global prize, Ciril Jazbec’s story won first place in Onewater’s 2024/25 Photostory Contest on “Water Towers”. The competition awarded €20,000 in prizes, supported by MPB, the Asian Development Bank, Onewater, and the City of Burghausen as co-convenors. You can read Ciril Jazbec’s original photo story here, as well as all other published photo stories on the Onewater website.

As the Himalayan glaciers recede and water scarcity intensifies, communities in Ladakh, a high-altitude desert in northern India, are turning to innovative means to safeguard their future. 

This fragile region, where winter temperatures plummet to -30°C, is shielded from monsoon rains and receives an average annual rainfall of about 100 millimetres. It also faces acute water shortages that peak during the critical spring planting season in April and May.  Agriculture is the backbone of Ladakhi livelihoods. Climate change is exacerbating water scarcity, intensifying the challenge for farmers and threatening food security.

A slow, but gradual rise in average winter temperatures over the last few decades has disrupted the water cycle in Ladakh. Traditionally, snow- and glacial melt in spring have provided water for the planting season. However, rising global temperatures are upending this balance. Snow melts too early in the season, while glaciers have retreated to higher altitudes, often delaying their melt until later in the season. The result: a prolonged dry spell in spring, often leaving farmers without the water they need to cultivate crops and threatening food security across the region. 

In 2013, visionary Ladakhi engineer Sonam Wangchuk introduced a solution: ice stupas. Inspired by the artificial glaciers pioneered by fellow Ladakhi engineer Chewang Norphel, Wangchuk’s ice stupas are artificial glaciers, shaped like conical, mound-like Buddhist stupas designed to store winter meltwater and gradually release it during the growing season. The stupas are constructed by channelling water from higher altitudes through underground pipes. As the water is sprayed into subzero air, it freezes into towering ice formations capable of holding millions of litres of water.

This initiative has been transformative. During the project’s inauguration in 2015, around 1,000 villagers planted over 5,000 saplings using meltwater from the stupas, turning barren desert into cultivated land. Over the years, this innovation has gained traction, with ice stupas now established across numerous villages in Ladakh and plans underway for further expansion.  However, as Wangchuk emphasizes, these ice stupas are not a panacea for the climate crisis. Rather, they are a symbol of resilience, adaptability, and cultural ingenuity.

“Because it resembles elements we have in our tradition, it resonates with people, with their hearts” 

Wangchuk told blogger Swati Jain in 2017.

Wangchuk’s vision extends beyond ice stupas. He has emerged as a leading advocate for Ladakh’s future, pressing the Indian government to take decisive action against climate change and protect Ladakhi culture and identity. In October 2024, Wangchuk and fellow climate activists underwent a 15-day fas, advocating for constitutional recognition and tribal status for Ladakh. The fast concluded only after India’s Ministry of Home Affairs assured that it would re-engage with Ladakhi civil society leaders and groups. 

Wangchuk’s activism, in concert with dozens of other Ladahki climate organizers, is emblematic of the fight to preserve these precious ecosystems. The ice stupas represent more than just a practical solution for Ladahk’s water scarcity —they are powerful symbols of hope and the promise of community-led efforts to combat the challenges of a changing climate.

To explore all images, head over to the original page for this photostory on the Onewater website.