With the disappearance of glaciers, large water reservoirs are also being lost. This poses ever greater problems for irrigation in the barren heights of the Himalayas, particularly in the Ladakh region. This is where the Ice Stupas can help as innovative water storage structures. During the winter months, water is diverted from small streams and stored in gigantic ice cones, known as ice stupas.
An extraordinary project called "Ice Stupa Artificial Glaciers of Ladakh" brought the idea from Ladakh to Europe. These conical ice cones are created there in the cold winter months using the simplest of means. These ice stupas, some of which are over 40 m high and have a base area of around 400 m 2 , consist of up to 10,000 tons of ice, or around 10 million liters of frozen water. In Ladakh, the elegant ice towers store the water that is scarce in winter. In spring, when the ice melt in the high-altitude Himalayan glaciers becomes increasingly scarce, these stupas provide the 'temporarily stored' elixir of life for the drought-stricken agricultural sector.
Unlike in Ladakh, this impressive ice sculpture is primarily symbolic in our landscape. In the Engadin, too, the availability of water, an elementary resource for human life, may no longer be guaranteed as a result of climate change. For example, the Morteratsch Glacier, the largest glacier in Graubünden, loses as much water every year as is stored in around 1,500 ice stupas. This corresponds to the equivalent of 15 million tons of ice. But it is not just a symbolic effect, as technological development work is also being carried out here in collaboration with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Until now, the construction of an ice stupa has taken around 500 working hours, often at night. Especially in Ladakh, where the temperatures are noticeably colder than in the Engadine and the ice stupas are located several kilometers away from settlements, this is often dangerous. A new, automatic control system can now significantly reduce the workload. The system switches off automatically if there is a risk of freezing, if temperatures are too warm or if there are strong winds, while at the same time being carefully emptied and restarted when conditions are more favorable.
The joint action against the consequences of climate change also had other positive side effects: The GlaciersAlive association founded for the construction of the Ice Stupa has been able to invite young students from Ladakh to the Engadin several times over the past 6 years thanks to several donations. This collaboration resulted in a first dissertation at the University of Fribourg last May. The successful doctoral student Suryanarianam Balasubramanian has now returned to Ladakh and founded his company ''Acres of Ice'' which aims to implement the technology developed in Switzerland in the villages of Ladakh.
The Ice Stupa at the Diavolezza valley station is ready for a visit with its interior made of hundreds of icicles! The icy splendor that opens up inside cannot be described in words, it has to be seen. The spectacular ice formation also contains another symbolic statement: as a result of global climate dependency, we also form a community of fate when it comes to water. This is why the Ice Stupa is also a symbol of solidarity with the Ladakh region, from which European travelers always return deeply impressed. School events are also offered by the GlaciersAlive association in collaboration with Academia Engiadina. All visitors have the opportunity to support the construction of ice stupas in Ladakh through donations.
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