How One Man Single-Handedly Solved Ladakh's Water Crisis

Known as the land of llamas and high passes, Ladakh, with its colourful culture, breathtaking landscapes and architectural wonders, has been a favourite spot for travellers and explorers for many years. The majestic snow-capped mountains seem almost surreal, but behind the region’s rich history and stark beauty lies a grim reality many of us don’t see, let alone know about.

For locals of the region, the arid land provides little scope for agricultural possibilities, while the harsh and unforgiving conditions of this high altitude creates an array of hurdles for many local villagers to overcome. Winters bring heavy snowfall but by the time summer came around, locals would face immense water shortages with the areas receding glaciers, a consequence of climate change. Villagers who subsisted on agriculture faced especially tough times because of the lack of water during sowing season, while on the other hand, a lot of water would get wasted during the winter months when the severe cold made growing crops impossible. But this was before one man came along,used his acquired skills and knowledge as a civil engineers to come up with a creative way to confront the consequences of climate change that afflicted the people and in the process brought relief and ease to life in Ladakh.

Born in Leh into a family of farmers in 1936, civil engineer Chewang Norphel served in the government for over thirty six years before he retired early for health reasons. Being back home, Norphel noticed more than ever the dire situation of his community when it came to the shortage of water that had affected close to eighty percent of the residing population that depended on farming for subsistence. The idea of artificial glaciers came to him one day when he observed that a small stream of water from a dripping tap had frozen under the shade of poplar trees—the flow of water was just slow enough for it to freeze. Norphel experienced an ‘Aha moment’ of sorts and began devising techniques to apply the same phenomenon he observed on a larger scale, thinking it may provide a low-cost and eco-friendly solution to the problems of his people.

As reported by The Better India, his first experiment at creating an artificial glacier was in Phutse village. In order to divert water from the main river, he dug canals from the main stream down to a catchment that was located four kilometres away from the village. He made sure that this area was shaded so as to allow the water to freeze and remain frozen till the right time. This man-made glacier was located at a lower altitude of 13,000 feet, as opposed to natural glaciers at 18,000 feet, so it would melt sooner than the high altitude ones, providing water to the nearby villagers at the ideal time, the month of April, to sow seeds. The experiment was a success and the villagers who previously laughed at and ridiculed Norphel’s new ideas and experiments soon saw the merit in his immense achievement, and thus, he became Ladakh’s ‘ice man,’ pioneer of artificial glaciers.

Recruiting villagers for the manual labour and sourcing raw materials locally, the project proved to be a lot more cost-effective than the building of a dam. “It is a very simple technique, and a low cost project,” said Norphel. “The main technique used to create artificial glaciers is to control the velocity of water as much as possible. The regions is a hilly area and that is why the gradient of streams is very steep,” said Norphel speaking to The Better India. “As a result, in the main streams the water usually does not freeze. So what we have done is we have diverted the water to a shadow area by constructing a diversion channel with a mild grade. When it reaches the site, the water is released downward of the hill, distributing it in a small quantity so that the velocity can be minimized, and side by side we have constructed ice retaining walls in series to store the frozen water. This is the entire methodology of the artificial glacier,” he explains. His frozen-solid creations not only provide water at the right time to the villagers, but also stops water wastage as well as recharges the groundwater table.

Till date, Norphel has created twelve artificial glaciers, and his efforts at water conservation were the subject of a 2012 documentary called White Knight. Awarded the Padma Shri in 2015 by the government of India, this selfless 80-year-old retired civil engineer is a true hero when it comes to effectively and safely combating climate change. His work has helped close to 113 villages in Ladakh, with 80 of those villages heavily dependent on the artificial glaciers as the primary supply of water for irrigation.

When asked by the Times of India about Maharashtra, a state that’s been dealing with a growing water problem for the past few years and is currently in a state of drought, he said, “Building huge dams and spending crores will not necessarily land the desirable results. Everyone has to be involved in saving water and recharging the groundwater table. An artificial glacier costs around Rs. 10 to 15 lakhs to build, depending on the size. But this involves the efforts of local people, and is a cost-effective way to develop a long-term solution. Local check dams are more important than large dams. Most importantly, local people in an area must be involved in such projects. A sense of duty and responsibility is instilled in people.”

“My message to the world is act now,” he says, “before it’s too late.’