By Abbas Nazil
In the high-altitude valleys of Northern Pakistan, farmers are combating a deepening water crisis with a novel and community-driven innovation: artificial glaciers.
Faced with declining snowfall and disrupted spring melts, communities in Gilgit-Baltistan have adopted the creation of “ice stupas” — cone-shaped towers of ice built during winter that melt gradually in spring, providing much-needed irrigation water just in time for the planting season.
The technique, inspired by YouTube videos of Indian engineer and environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, has gained traction since its introduction in the region in 2018.
Ice stupas are formed by spraying water into freezing air, where it solidifies into towering cones that can store millions of liters of water.
These structures offer a practical alternative to traditional reservoirs or water tanks, which are costly and often unfeasible in the rugged, mountainous terrain.
Over 20 villages in Gilgit-Baltistan have now implemented this technique, giving more than 16,000 residents access to reliable water for agriculture.
According to Rashid-ud-Din, the provincial head of GLOF-2, a joint UN-Pakistan climate adaptation initiative, these ice stupas have significantly reduced water shortages during critical planting periods.
In the village of Hussainabad alone, eight stupas stored around 20 million liters of water this past winter, providing timely irrigation for orchards and crops.
The impact on agricultural productivity has been profound. Farmers who once faced delays due to late-melting natural glaciers can now begin planting in early spring.
In the village of Pari, 26-year-old farmer Bashir Ahmed reported a shift from a single growing season to two or even three per year, boosting both food security and income.
Gilgit-Baltistan, home to around 13,000 glaciers, is a crucial water source for Pakistan. However, as climate change accelerates, snow-fed rivers have become less dependable, threatening both local livelihoods and the national water supply.
Pakistan, with a population of over 240 million and mostly arid terrain, relies on these mountain-fed water sources for over 75 percent of its freshwater.
Despite the promise of artificial glaciers, experts caution that they are not a long-term solution. Rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, and diminishing snowfall continue to put pressure on water availability nationwide.
Nonetheless, the success of these grassroots innovations in Gilgit-Baltistan highlights the resilience and ingenuity of rural communities in the face of climate adversity, offering a model of adaptation for other vulnerable regions.