Shimla,
Nagender Singh
With diminishing snow and receding glaciers posing threat in coming days, the youth of China bordering Hungrang Valley in tribal Kinnaur are making artificial glaciers to tackle water shortages caused by drought in the summer months.
Artificial glaciers are being made in these dry unsnowy winter days by piping and sprinkling fresh water in the gorge, rocky slopes and runlets which freezes during nights.
“As the snow is not falling this year and natural glaciers are receding and shrinking, we are storing water volume by freezing it in channels and Nullahs as artificial glaciers which will be using in coming summers for irrigating crops, and need be for drinking water,”Amar Prakash Vice President of Hungo Panchayat.
This artificial glacier making technique is being used by us as an experiment and if it succeeds which we are sure about, we will carry it in a big way to combat the water crisis caused by the hostile climate in this arid and dry region, adds the Vice President Amar Prakash.
This innovative technique of making artificial glaciers was first invented by local engineer Wangchuk about a decade ago in 2013 in Ladakh. He made Buddhist Stupa like icy structures of snow by freezing fresh water during winter and in summers melting ice was used for irrigating crops in the desert fields of that region.
“Changing climate and global warming is posing serious threats to the tribal people and their livelihood in the snowy desert of upper Kinnaur. Fruit and vegetable farming, which are major sources of income of the people of the region are being hit hard by the climate change with impending water shortages,” says Shanta Kumar, a member of Zila Parishad from Hungo Panchayat.
To save our livelihood and agriculture, the youth of Hungrang Valley have taken to an innovative route of freezing fresh water in gorges and slopes uphill in this shape of artificial glaciers and these watery ice bodies will melt in summers, and be used for irrigation of crops and drinking purposes, he says.
