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The union territory lies in the rain shadow zone – where dry monsoon winds reach Kargil with less moisture – of the Himalayas and receives an average annual precipitation (rain/snowfall) of only 100 millimeters.

The idea behind artificial glaciers and ice stupas is to hold the water that flows down (from glaciers) to the streams in the winter months. This water is stored as ice, which melts in springtime, just when the fields need watering.

But the ice stupa 59-year-old Angchuck is referring to is no ordinary ice stupa; it is an automated ice reservoir (AIR) or an ice stupa that runs ‘automatically’.

What is the structure of automated ice stupa?

The automated ice reservoir, built last winter, is a one-of-its-kind structure in Ladakh. It has sensors on its pipeline with an attached control board that makes a decision, based on local weather conditions, to allow or stop the mechanized valves from letting the water flow through the system.

Automation helps avoid freezing of water inside the pipeline that feeds the ice reservoir. Minimal intervention is required from the villagers to run the system, which is controlled remotely.

 

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