Ladakh captures glacier meltwater to revive arid farmlands
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Ladakh’s administration channeled 60 lakh litres of glacier meltwater into large ponds to irrigate farmland in the Union Territory of Ladakh, a region in northern India.
Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena announced the completion of Project Him Sarovar, which built four ponds at Spituk Farka in Leh. Construction began on April 10, 2026, and finished on September 9, 2026, allowing the ponds to fill quickly.
The ponds will hold around 60 lakh litres of water initially, with a total storage capacity of nearly 24 million litres. Officials expect this stored water to create a new irrigation area covering approximately 1000 acres of land. The project works by diverting water from the Stok Glacier stream through the Igoo-Phey Canal and into the ponds. Eighty percent of people in Ladakh rely on agriculture and irrigation from glaciers and snow.
However, warming temperatures over the last forty years have caused glaciers to shrink and melt earlier in the year. This project aims to capture and conserve water that would otherwise be lost, improving both agricultural output and long-term water security.
