Sharjah24 - AFP: In northern Pakistan, farmers facing water shortages have turned to an innovative solution: artificial glaciers. As climate change brings warmer winters, snowfall has decreased, impacting the seasonal snowmelt that traditionally supplies the Gilgit-Baltistan region, home to the towering Karakoram mountain range and the world’s second-highest peak, K2. In the Skardu valley, located at an altitude of 2,600 meters, farmers, struggling with water scarcity for their apple and apricot orchards, sought solutions online and discovered the concept of artificial glaciers.
The technique, developed by an engineer from Ladakh, India, involves piping water from streams into the cold air during winter. As the temperature drops, the water freezes into ice towers, shaped like Buddhist stupas, which act as a storage system. These ice formations steadily melt in spring, providing water when needed most.
Since the first ice stupas were built in 2018, over 20 villages in Gilgit-Baltistan have adopted the practice, benefiting more than 16,000 residents. These artificial glaciers have helped farmers significantly by providing water for irrigation during planting seasons. Before their creation, farmers had to wait until the spring snowmelt. Now, the availability of water has allowed for multiple growing seasons each year.
Pakistan faces a rapid rise in temperatures and water scarcity, with glaciers melting across the country. The innovative use of ice stupas in these mountainous areas is seen as a potential model for adapting to the effects of climate change, offering a sustainable solution for water supply and agricultural stability in the region.
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