Act Now to Save India’s Vanishing Glaciers: Bold Innovations in a Race Against Time

As climate change accelerates, extreme weather events are becoming more common. India is feeling these impacts, especially in the Himalayas, where 2025 has seen significant disruptions.

The region has faced devastating floods, unexpected cloudbursts, and heavy rains. Ladakh, usually preparing for snow in late September, saw its first snowfall in August this year—a troubling shift in weather patterns.

Glaciers are melting faster than ever, presenting new risks. A UN report highlights that glaciers worldwide are shrinking, contributing to natural disasters like landslides and altering river flows. Water resources that communities depend on are under threat, affecting agriculture and hydropower.

Experts stress that while Ladakh’s challenges are local, they reflect larger national and global issues driven by rising temperatures. This necessitates targeted local solutions within a broader framework.

India’s National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) aims to support the region through research and monitoring. Advanced technologies like Remote Sensing and GIS are being used to track glacier changes. The National Disaster Management Authority is also working on early warning systems for potential glacier-related floods.

Dr. Aditya Mishra, a project scientist at IIT Madras, points out the need for improved data to understand these changes better. More field measurements will help gauge the realities unfolding in the region.

Recognizing the urgency, Ladakh is taking initiative with a groundbreaking project. The Vertical Automated Ice Reservoirs Project aims to store winter water for summer use. This innovative approach creates artificial glaciers, which retain water during low demand in winter and release it in dryer months.

Tsering Tundup from the Leh Nutrition Project emphasizes the necessity of these artificial glaciers. He explains that they are built using bunds in glacier streams, freezing water for later use when supplies dwindle.

The situation in the Himalayas serves as a wake-up call, not just for India, but for the entire planet. Local innovations like Ladakh’s artificial glaciers show that immediate, region-specific action is vital for survival. Without translating global climate ambitions into practical solutions, the threat of ice retreat will continue to escalate, leading to more dire consequences.



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