Ladakh stares at drinking water crisis as glaciers receding fast

Stakeholders voice concerns for 'concrete policy' to preserve glaciers

Jammu, May 17: Ladakh, the cold desert of the country, is staring at the worst drinking water crisis as the region has recorded exponential rise in tourist footfall over the years allied with fast receding glaciers.
The drinking water scarcity in parts of Ladakh has fuelled concerns that the government should come out with a concrete policy to preserve glaciers in the region. The stakeholders have suggested that the government should take immediate measures to protect glaciers so that
“In Ladakh, glaciers melt-water is a major source of water for drinking and irrigation. The region, being a cold desert, has extreme weather conditions. Moreover, all habitations in the region have come up on the foothills of a glacier where the meltdown glacier water trickles down. Unfortunately, the government does not have any policy to preserve glaciers which are receding very fast,” a Leh-based research scholar of Environmental Sciences told The New Now.
The scholar said, “If immediate corrective measures are not taken, it will be disastrous for Ladakh as the region will have to face the worst drinking water crisis. The idea of building artificial glaciers or ice stupas has, somehow, helped a lot to the people in dealing with the water crisis but still serious efforts are required to look into the imminent problem of severe water scarcity”.
Sajjad Kargili, a political activist who contested last parliamentary elections from Ladakh, has also flagged concerns over fast wiping out of glaciers in Ladakh and demanded immediate steps to protect glaciers.
“In #Kargil, the prominent Parkachik Glacier of Suru valley is melting down very fast. The climate crisis is real. But still, there is no policy to preserve these glaciers. The government needs to come up with a concrete policy & it must take immediate steps to protect glaciers,” Kargili said in his recent tweet.
Kargili, who is quite vocal over the persistent problem of drinking water scarcity, said, “People in several areas in Kargil including Sankoo and Hundurmo are now installing artificial glaciers in villages. These glaciers are used for storing winter water. During summers, when there is water scarcity, the artificial glacier melts to increase water supply for crop production”.
Pertinently, a recent study has found that 87 glaciers have retreated 6.7 percent in the Pangong region of Ladakh since 1990. The major reason for fast receding of glaciers is the atmospheric warming and an increase in the anthropogenic footprint in the glacial and peri-glacial environments. Secondly, the exponential rise in tourist footfall (from 16,449 tourists in 1994 to 2,79 lakhs in 2019) has also put pressure on natural resources in Ladakh.

Updated On 5/19/2022 11:32:23 AM