Building Artificial Glaciers in Ladakh: Sonam Wangchuk

Faced with retreating glaciers high in the Himalaya, engineer Sonam Wangchuk invented a way to store winter water for irrigation—a 78-foot-tall “ice stupa”. Built in one of the most arid regions of northern India, these artificial glaciers delay the release of meltwater by freezing it into a cone of ice shaped like a stupa—a Buddhist structure which represents enlightenment.

In this Season 3 premiere episode of the Create the Future podcast, we speak to Sonam about the origins of the Ice Stupa project and his ongoing mission to inspire global change. We discuss the importance of connecting technology with tradition to inspire local communities, hear how he resolved the issue of Ladakh’s cold school buildings using mud and the sun, and find out how his 1.6 million-strong social media following helped bring about local governmental action.

New episodes of ‘Create the Future: An Engineering Podcast’ every other Tuesday. www.qeprize.org/podcasts

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