Arteev Sharma
Jammu: Against the backdrop Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena’s pilot project Him Sarovar to strengthen water security in the arid region, the Union Territory administration has constituted district-level Joint Field Assessment Committees of the Agriculture, Horticulture and Command Area Development (CAD) Departments to assess the potential for agricultural and horticultural activities around newly constructed Him Sarovar water reservoir ponds.
The move comes as 28 Him Sarovars being constructed by PHE department are nearing completion across Ladakh, while another 10 reservoirs are being constructed by the Rural Development Department. The administration has said the water bodies could provide an important opportunity to expand agriculture and horticulture, particularly in the water-scarce areas of the Union Territory.
The project was launched on April 10 to ensure long-term water security in the cold desert region. The project is aimed at scientific snow harvesting and the creation of water bodies to address the pressing challenge of water scarcity in Ladakh.
The initiative focuses on harvesting snow and conserving snowmelt to strengthen water security across Ladakh, where water availability remains a critical concern due to unique climatic and geographical conditions.
According to an official order, the committees will undertake field visits and conduct detailed assessments of the areas surrounding the reservoirs. The assessment will cover the cultivable potential of land, soil conditions, agro-climatic conditions and suitability of different crops. The committees will subsequently identify the total area that can potentially be brought under cultivation and recommend suitable crops and cropping patterns for the respective command areas.
The committees have been constituted for six districts—Leh, Sham, Nubra, Kargil, Drass and Zanskar—with three officials from the Agriculture, Horticulture and CAD departments assigned to each committee.
In Leh district, the committee comprises the Chief Horticulture Officer, Leh; Deputy Director, Command Area Development, Leh; and District Agriculture Officer (Input), Leh. It will assess 11 Him Sarovar projects, including reservoir tanks at Spituk Farka and storage/recharge tanks at ChuchotTuchik, Phey, Ney, Tsalay Kotsa, Lukung, Shayok and Shang Martselang.
The Sham district committee will assess three projects at Kimbilayok Thang Alchi, SkurbuchanGonpathang and YulchungSingee Lalok, while the Nubra committee will cover four projects at Tangyar, Bogdang, Sumoor and Ayee.
Kargil has the largest number of projects covered under the exercise, with 12 Him Sarovars. These include projects at Barchey Baroo, YhorkerYourba Thangdumbur, Damboo Nagma Kouser, ChumfairFaroona, Mayata Broq, Bajan Bartoo, Kochik, Shoray Garkone, Barchey, Khitak, Malikbar Umba and Hagnis.
Three projects each will be assessed in Drass and Zanskar. The Drass projects are located at Taiser Jal Gindiyal, Goshan (Tololing) and Youlboo (Manmaan), while those in Zanskar are at Akshow, Abran, Kumic, Raru and Himiling.
The administration has tasked the committees with preparing ground-level reports identifying the area that can be brought under cultivation and recommending appropriate crops and cropping patterns based on local conditions.
The reports are required to be submitted to the Agriculture, Horticulture and Command Area Development Department through the Joint Director Agriculture, UT of Ladakh, within 15 days.
The exercise is aimed at ensuring that the newly created water storage infrastructure is put to productive use and contributes to higher farm incomes, expansion of cultivation and improved food security in the predominantly cold and water-scarce landscape of Ladakh.
