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High-Altitude Engineering

The Ice Stupa: Water for a Thirsty Spring

A groundbreaking solution freezing winter streamflow into conical glaciers, providing critical irrigation for Ladakhi villages during the arid planting season.

Engineering Principles

How Artificial Glaciers Form

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Winter Diversion

Fountain Discharge

Conical Accumulation

Spring Release

Unused winter stream water is diverted from higher altitudes through underground pipes to lower elevations near villages.

The water emerges from a vertical pipe, forming a fountain. The ambient sub-zero temperatures immediately begin freezing the spray.

As water freezes, it forms an inverted cone around the pipe. This geometry minimizes surface area exposure to solar radiation.

With the arrival of spring, the Ice Stupa slowly melts, releasing stored water into irrigation channels precisely when needed for crops.

Measured Resilience

Tangible Impact in Ladakh

3 Million+

Liters per Stupa

30 Meters

Average Height Achieved

10+ Villages

Benefiting Annually

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Replicating Mountain Solutions Globally

Explore how high-altitude engineering principles can be adapted to address water scarcity in other vulnerable regions.