Ladakh has always had a robust community mechanism to take care of its vulnerable and disadvantaged sections. These mechanisms continue to exist today as well. However, the current pace of development is infringing joint family systems, and an upward migration trend is weakening individual sections, and there is growing income and gender disparities.
GOAL
Building climate-resilient water security for high-altitude Ladakh villages through artificial glaciers, revived zings, and IoT-monitored systems
(HCLTech Grant)
Project Overview
The Leh Nutrition Project (LNP) has been awarded ₹50 Lakhs under the prestigious HCLTech Grant (Runner-Up, Water Category) to execute a two-year initiative (April 2026 to March 2028) focused on high-altitude water security.
Project Summary
Addressing Ladakh’s glacier-fed and climate-driven water challenges, the project will develop Climate-Resilient Village Water Security Plans for four villages and implement adaptive storage models (artificial glaciers, revived zings, and IoT-monitored systems) in two severely water-stressed communities. By blending traditional governance (Churpon and Goba leadership) with modern hydro-geological and GIS mapping, LNP aims to establish scalable, climate-resilient water models that influence district and UT-level water policies.
Field Videos
Ground-level footage from the project villages: the artificial glaciers taking shape through the winter, and the community at work on the ground.
Artificial Glacier in Late Spring
Filmed on 22 April 2026, this clip shows one of LNP’s artificial glacier structures still holding a substantial ice mass late into spring. The gradual melt continues feeding water into the valley through the early sowing season, exactly the storage effect these structures are built for.
Cascade Glacier at Nang, Fully Frozen
Recorded on 17 February 2026 on Stakmo Village Road in Nang, one of the villages where LNP has built cascade-type artificial glaciers. The footage shows the structure at peak winter freeze, with banked ice ready to release water gradually as temperatures rise.
Water Channel and Check-Dam Structure, Nang
Shot on 31 January 2026, also at Nang, this video shows the stone check-dam and channel that diverts stream water to build the artificial glacier, with water still flowing and icing over at the edges as the structure begins to freeze for the season.
Community Engagement on the Water Supply
Villagers and the LNP team gather around a piped water outlet in the streambed to test water flow, a reminder that these water security works are built and maintained together with the community’s own Churpon and Goba leadership.
Enabling A Sustainable Ladakh
Housing Colony, P.O. Box 59, Leh-Ladakh 194101. India
+91 1982 252151 – contact@lnp.org.in | lnplehladakh@gmail.com
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