DC Lahaul Spiti visits HIAL

The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives was honored to receive Sh. Neeraj Kumar (Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul & Spiti District), and his team comprising Priya Nagta (PF-DRDA-cum- SDM Keylong), Sh. Neon Sharma (Project Director, NRLM Keylong), Sh. Ravindera Kumar (EE, Jal Shakti Vibhag, Keylong) and Sh. Rohit Kumar (JE Jal Shakti Vibhag, Keylong). The team visited Himalayan Institute of Alternatives on a study tour of our climate impact projects.

The everyday lives of people living across mountainous regions – especially high-altitude deserts – and the challenges they face are common. In light of this, the team from Lahaul & Spiti visited the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives in Ladakh to gather knowledge about our Snow and Ice harvesting practices.

The Himalayan Institute of Alternatives undertakes projects and experiments, such as those related to easing the impact of climate change, and our institute offers working models of such experiments for others to visit, study, and implement back in their home environment, with our guidance.

The Deputy Commissioner of Lahaul and Spiti District and his team joined us on a visit to Tarchit, a remote high altitude village in Ladakh. The Ice Stupa, which was constructed and maintained by the local community of Tarchit with support from Himalayan Institute of Alternatives still stands at an amazing 40 feet tall, well into the summer season, providing much needed water to the surrounding tree cover and farms.

We further visited Kulum village, another remote high altitude community, where we showcased a landmark irrigation project. This project includes both drip and micro-sprinkler irrigation systems and helped restart farming on over 60 canals of land in the village, ensuring that traditional farming practices continue inspite of climate change. This project was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the UT Ladakh Agriculture Department, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MOTA), and Himalayan Institute of Alternatives.