ICE STUPA

In October 2013, Sonam Wangchuk created the first prototype of the 6 meters (20 ft) Ice Stupa by freezing 150,000 ltrs (40,000 US gal) in Leh without any shade from the sun. Water was piped from upstream using gravity. Electricity or machinery was not used for pumping water. The Ice Stupa did not melt fully till 18 May 2014, even when the temperature was above 20 ºC (68 ºF). During summer, when water is scarce, the Ice Stupa melts to increase the water supply for crops.


  • Ice Stupa refers to the artificial glaciers that freeze and hold the water vertically in the form of huge ice towers or cones of 30 to 50 metres in height that look very similar to the local sacred mud structures called Stupa or Chorten.
  • In the absence of the Ice Stupa, the water keeps flowing and wasting away down the streams and into the rivers throughout the winter.
  • The water from these artificial glaciers melts in the spring time. Just when the fields need it.
  • In each Ice Stupa, at least 30–50 lakh litres of water are saved. This is apart from the naturally saved water on the slopes of mountains.

In Ladakh, northern India, the recent development of an “ICE STUPA” suggests a new model for climate-adaptive design thinking. Here, the region’s shrinking supply of glacial meltwater has led to the creation of a novel water management strategy in which community involvement, ecological awareness, and religious iconography have been harnessed to make the most of a diminishing natural resource.

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