Artificial glaciers are helping farmers survive a water crisis

In the high-altitude valleys of northern Pakistan, where snow-capped peaks loom above all year round, communities are facing a water crisis. Warmer winters have brought less snowfall and disrupted the spring melt that traditionally waters their fields.

But instead of waiting for help to arrive, local farmers have turned to a surprising source for potential solutions – YouTube.

YouTube sparks hope in a water crisis

In the Skardu valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, farmers living at elevations up to 2,600 meters found themselves struggling to irrigate their apple and apricot orchards. They searched for potential solutions that could alleviate their water shortage.

“We discovered artificial glaciers on YouTube,” said Ghulam Haider Hashmi. The videos featured Sonam Wangchuk, an engineer and environmental activist from Ladakh, India, who introduced this unique method of storing water nearly a decade ago: ice stupas.

These cone-shaped ice towers are created during the freezing winter by spraying water from village streams into the air. This water would otherwise run down the mountain sides in streams and be wasted to farming.

However, by spraying it into the sub-zero conditions, the water droplets freeze mid-air, and tumble down, forming towering cones that resemble Buddhist stupas.

“The water must be propelled so that it freezes in the air when temperatures drop below zero, creating ice towers,” explained Zakir Hussain Zakir, a professor at the University of Baltistan.

A region dependent on melting snow

Gilgit-Baltistan is home to around 13,000 glaciers – more than any other place outside the polar regions. Its snow-fed rivers are vital to life across Pakistan, a country that’s mostly arid and depends on these upstream sources for over 75% of its water.

As climate patterns shift, these fragile sources are becoming increasingly unreliable, deepening the national water crisis.

While the region’s breathtaking glaciers and lakes attract tourists, scientists stress that snowmelt, not glacial melt, remains the primary water source for local communities.

“From late October until early April, we were receiving heavy snowfall. But in the past few years, it’s quite dry,” said Sher Muhammad, a researcher at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

Artificial glaciers as a lifeline

The first ice stupas in Gilgit-Baltistan were constructed in 2018. Since then, more than 20 villages have adopted the technique.

“More than 16,000 residents have access to water without having to build reservoirs or tanks,” said Rashid-ud-Din, provincial head of GLOF-2, a joint UN-Pakistan initiative.

Muhammad Raza, a farmer from the village of Hussainabad, said eight stupas built in his community this winter stored about 20 million liters of water.

“We no longer have water shortages during planting,” he explained. The ice stupas begin melting in spring, just when the crops need water the most.

“Before, we had to wait for the glaciers to melt in June to get water, but the stupas saved our fields,” added Ali Kazim, another farmer in the valley.

More crops, more hope

For Bashir Ahmed, a 26-year-old farmer in the nearby village of Pari, the change has been dramatic. “We planted our crops in May,” he said. Prior to the artificial glaciers, the village only had one growing season, but crops can now be planted two or three times a year, noted Ahmed.

This improvement comes at a critical time. Between 1981 and 2005, Pakistan’s temperature rose twice as fast as the global average, which has accelerated the country’s ongoing water crisis. Its 240 million people live in a country where 80% of the land is arid or semi-arid.

Though glaciers in the Karakoram range have shown more resilience, many others are melting fast, increasing flood risks while at the same time reducing long-term water availability.

For many in these mountain communities, the shift from helplessness to action has brought a new sense of purpose.

“Faced with climate change, there are neither rich nor poor, neither urban nor rural; the whole world has become vulnerable. In our village, with the ice stupas, we decided to take a chance,” said 24-year-old Yasir Parvi. And for now, that chance is paying off – one icy cone at a time.

The water crisis is far from over

While artificial glaciers have given these communities a powerful tool, they are not a permanent fix for Pakistan’s deepening water crisis.

Across the country, rising temperatures, shrinking snowfalls, and shifting weather patterns continue to strain already limited resources. Millions of people still rely on water sources that are vulnerable to climate change.

But what’s happening in Gilgit-Baltistan offers a hopeful reminder that, even in remote corners of the world, ordinary people can find ways to respond, adapt, and survive.

Their efforts show that small-scale innovations, when rooted in community and driven by urgency, can make a lasting difference in the face of a global challenge.

Information for this article came from a press release by AFP.

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