Towers of Ice

The Himalayas, in Central Asia, include many of the world’s tallest mountains. Tucked among them is Ladakh (lah-DAHK), a desert region that is home to 300,000 people.

Ladakh boasts a number/an amount of spectacular sights: turquoise rivers, snowcapped peaks, lush valleys. And since 2013, another astonishing sight has been popping up there: massive towers of ice! These ice towers were built to solve a big problem—Ladakh is running out of water. 

Ladakh, a cold desert, gets only a small number/amount of rain each year—around 2 to 4 inches. So for water, people depend on enormous masses of ice called glaciers that cover the tops of the mountains. In the spring, when it’s warm, the glaciers begin to melt, and the water flows down to Ladakh’s villages, where residents can use it. 

But because of climate change, Himalayan glaciers are shrinking. As a result, the number/amount of water in Ladakh has decreased. That’s where the ice towers come in.

During the winter, melting glacier water flows underground. In the past, none of this water was used by villagers. Now, thanks to the ice towers, a good number/amount of it can be. 

Here’s how: In the winter, pipes carry the underground glacier water to an aboveground spout that shoots the water onto a wooden frame. The water freezes to the frame and, over time, forms an ice tower on top of it. In the spring, the ice slowly melts, providing water for farming. 

So far, more than 100 ice towers have been built in Ladakh. That’s a large number/amount considering how massive these towers are. Each is around 100 feet tall and can hold up to 3 million gallons of water!