Artificial ice pyramids aid Indian mountain farmers facing glacier melt

A new automated ice reservoir system has supplied farmers in Ladakh with spring meltwater as traditional glaciers have disappeared.

• During the winter of 2025, Acres of Ice and the local government operated 10 Automated Ice Reservoir (AIR) projects across Ladakh.
• Dr. Suryanarayanan Balasubramanian, founder of Acres of Ice, said the system converts almost all diverted water into ice.
• Farmer Gelak Gutme stated he lost his entire crop the previous year due to water scarcity and now has a source of water from the AIR system.
• Murtaza Ali, executive engineer at the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, said villagers report groundwater recharging and revived spring sources.