Automated Ice Reservoirs(AIRs)

Glacial melting is a global crisis that transcends geographical boundaries and impacts regions across the world. As temperatures rise due to climate change, glaciers are rapidly receding, with potentially catastrophic consequences for our planet. Glaciers serve as vital water reservoirs for billions of people worldwide, contributing to the flow of major rivers, providing essential freshwater resources for drinking, agriculture, and industry. As glaciers diminish, water supply risks become increasingly dire. 

As glaciers vanish, unique glacial ecosystems housing diverse flora and fauna are disrupted, risking biodiversity loss. Moreover, the loss of glacial meltwater, which regulates weather patterns regionally and globally, alter precipitation events, impacting agriculture, water availability, and weather extremes. This can further escalate tensions among nations and regions, potentially sparking conflicts over dwindling freshwater resources from melting glaciers. Additionally, industries dependent on glacier-fed rivers, like hydropower and tourism, face severe economic consequences, including job losses and economic instability.

Locations where farmers have used ice reservoirs in the past decade

Research findings reveal that more than half of the world’s glaciers are expected to disappear by 2100. This implies that thousands of mountain villages relying on small glaciers in the Andes and the Hindu Kush Himalayas are expected to desertify in the next few decades.

Especially in the cold-arid Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh(Indian Himalayas), meltwater supply from the cryosphere is of utmost importance for irrigated agriculture in spring and summer, when water demand is highest. Due to its short growing period, central Ladakh is a single-cropping area with barley and wheat as important staples, complemented with vegetables, pulses, and oil seeds. Depending on the altitude, irrigation with complete flooding of fields (approximately 2–5-cm water column) starts between March and April, prior to the melting of high-altitude glaciers. This results in increased demand during a period of reduced supply at the onset of the agricultural season. These trends stress the importance of increased water storage capacity for glacierized
catchments as a pathway for climate change adaptation.

Some villages of Ladakh that have tried ice reservoirs for water storage

Ice Reservoirs (aka Icestupas) are a key example of community-based water management. In Ladakh, farmers in more than 50 villages build these ice structures. These ice reservoirs increase meltwater availability during the critical period of water scarcity. However, current ice reservoir construction practices require significant maintenance effort and therefore, are not scalable. Therefore, many villages never tried to build these structures a second time. Instead, these villages have switched to borewells to fulfill their drinking and irrigation needs. Some villages have even been abandoned due to water scarcity.

A typical ice reservoir simply requires a fountain nozzle mounted on a supply pipeline. The water source is usually a glacial stream or a spring. Due to the altitude difference between the pipeline input and the fountain output, water ejects from the fountain nozzle as droplets which freeze under subzero winter conditions. The fountain is activated during winter nights. The fountain nozzle is raised by adding metal pipes when a significant amount of ice accumulates below.

Automation system schematic

We wish to scale this traditional nature based technology through the use of weather-controlled automation systems. Given the correct weather (W) and pressure (P) conditions, the system builds ice reservoirs automatically and is maintenance-free. We tap into a spring/glacial water source from which water is extracted through pipelines. Mechanised valves control the water flow through either drain or spray modes. When the W-P conditions are correct, the spray mode is activated, where the valves allow the water to flow from the source to the fountain. Otherwise, the system goes into drain mode, allowing air to flow through the pipeline and water is pushed back into the stream. This is all controlled through a printed circuit board (PCB), which decides which mode is active based on all sensor inputs. The PCB also hosts an app that collects all the data for villagers' ease of use. Our 3D-printed fountains account for the complex relationship between water droplet size, trajectory and weather conditions. The villagers are continually monitoring the ice reservoir through the summer months as it strives to find cold weather windows to endure.

A typical village of Ladakh

In Ladakh (Indian Himalayas), there are around 215 villages, out of which around 90 percent depend predominantly on glacial water supply. Due to rapid glacial retreat, agricultural activities in 10 percent of these villages are severely affected. One such village is Igoo. With around 250 households, it used to be a vibrant village where everyone grew enough food and used to barter for other goods. However, Igoo’s glacial area has been shrinking at the rate of 1 percent annually and therefore agriculture is fast turning out to be an unviable occupation for many here. This is forcing many villagers to migrate to nearby cities as daily wage labourers.

Igoo has a long history of building these structures. In 2009, Leh Nutrition Project(LNP) built 2 sets of ice terraces consisting of dry stone walls. In 2014, another set of 26 similar structures were built, with walls ranging in size between 20 and 100 ft in length. In 2021, an ice stupa was built when Igoo took part in Ice Stupa Competition conducted by Himalayan Institute of Alternatives(HIAL). The structure won first prize and survived until August. However, since 2021 all the ice reservoirs listed above are under disrepair. The village has a water management committee that maintains these structures. They reported that the pipelines froze frequently and therefore they were unable to maintain it.

Through the use of our automation technology past winter, we were able to revive the tradition of building ice reservoirs in Igoo. The automated ice reservoir(AIR) has reduced monitoring visits from every other day to twice a month. It has stored more than 4 million litres of water to use efficiency of more than 80 % compared to just 20 % for traditional ones which are typically 1 million litres in volume. Moreover, these structures grow throughout the year by finding ideal weather windows to operate the fountain spray. Thereby, this upgraded technology can yield a perennial ice reservoir that compounds in size every winter and compensates for the lost ecosystem services of natural glaciers.

Both the cofounders have worked with many villages of Ladakh on water management solutions for the past decade. Particularly, they have been involved with the ice reservoir technology by handholding more than 500 farmers of the region to build them through the help of NGOs. The cofounders have also finished a PhD and a masters on the technology and know deeply about the village water problems and the issues while constructing ice reservoirs.

Our primary motive this winter was to implement a scalable and easy to maintain ice reservoir that can function autonomously in any remote environment. Contrary to expectations, this meant we had to pick our pilot sites so that they were representative of some of the hardest locations to build ice reservoirs worldwide. This is why we selected Igoo and Nang villages of Ladakh to build our pilots since last November.

Our tests in Nang showed that automated ice reservoirs could not function below a water temperature of 1 degree Celcius.

Our tests in Igoo showed that upgrading ice reservoirs with automation kits:
- reduced maintenance frequency from daily to monthly.
- achieved two times more water storage with a water use efficiency of more than 80 percent
- avoided pipeline freezing events.
- made fountain pipeline systems resilient and responsive to erratic weather events.

At 4200 m, Igoo's site is high and cold enough to mimic the weather conditions close to natural glaciers. Its 300 m long pipeline surpasses the length of previous installations. Its spring water source, although warm, keeps fluctuating in quantity especially in the winter. Moreover, the site is hard to reach being one hour away from the nearest road.

More than 3 months have passed since our automation system began constructing Igoo's ice reservoir. Our expectation was that our AIR will spray to freeze water only when weather conditions are ideal and would keep the pipeline free of water during the rest of the time. However, for only half this duration, the automated ice reservoir was operating as expected. The rest of the days it was either being manually operated or the fountain pipeline system was frozen.

This was due to the constant experiments and upgrades we were deploying. In the first two weeks, we were testing our new 3D printed fountains. Some of them froze droplets so fast that they formed ice boulders that eventually broke the vertical pipe holding the fountain (Dec 25 timelapse image). Once we settled on proper fountains, we discovered defects in the pipeline alignment that created pockets of ice along the pipeline. After many pipeline adjustments, we spent several visits correcting the automation software and eventually realised that Ladakh's high solar radiation had burnt some circuit board components.

Our most important revelation through these experiments was to use pressure readings instead of temperature to avoid pipeline freezing events. You see, flowing water in the pipe does not freeze instantly. Instead it takes a couple of minutes of very cold temperature to freeze it. However, during this freezing window, the pipeline pressure constantly increases and therefore becomes the most reliable trigger to drain the pipeline before a pipeline freezing event occurs.

Another crucial intervention was the establishment of a 3 member water management committee (WMC) in the village. The WMC was funded by villagers and were trained by us. From mastering mechanized valves to effortlessly managing the system with a push of a button, they are now capable to operate the AIR for the next few years.

All these learnings, have now made the automation system much more robust and capable to perform without much intervention.

We need your help to scale ancient nature based technologies like ice reservoirs worldwide. Although our pilots and our focus is now in Ladakh, within the next 3 years we want to bring this practice to help other water scarce mountain villages.

We also need Solve's support to build a business model around providing water supply. Water is not values in commercial terms in the world as it should be and we want to change this with Solve's help.

Our solution upgrades the construction methodology of ice reservoirs into a maintenance-free and scalable one. This breakthrough was first documented in a publication by our co-founder.

The Ice Reservoirs built through our technology are more efficient and require almost no manual interventions throughout the winter season, providing a successful water storage and regulation mechanism to the nearby villages ensuring water availability throughout the year.

Through this construction strategy, we can revive the practice of building ice reservoirs in the 43 villages of Ladakh that have abandoned it and scale their area/volume to be similar to natural glaciers in the region.

Moreover, our intervention will also make it easier to build ice reservoirs in other mountain regions for climate change adaptation.

Outcome 1: Automated Ice reservoirs(AIRs) supply more meltwater

Indicator: Total volume of automated ice reservoir

Baseline: 10 lakh litres

Target: 50 lakh litres

Verification:Published ice volume records from drone surveys

Output 1.1: Increase in yield

Indicator: Earlier date of first irrigation cycle and frequency of flood irrigation

Baseline: Mid-May and once per month

Target: Mid-April and twice per month

Verification:Household surveys

Output 1.2: Increase in annual household income

Indicator: Kilograms of yield produced/sold

Baseline: INR 1.5 lakhs

Target: INR 2.25 lakhs

Verification: Household surveys

Output 3.3: % of winter water supply frozen in ice reservoirs

Indicator: AIR freezing rate vs winter stream water supply

Baseline: Unknown

Target: Above 50 percent

Verification: Streamflow measurements and ice volume records

Outcome 2:  AIRs are easier to maintain.

Indicator: No. of pipeline freezing events during construction

Baseline: 30

Target: 2

Verification: Published records of automation system operation

Output 2.1: AIRs are cheaper than other ice reservoirs

Indicator: Construction cost per litre

Baseline: INR 1 per litre

Target: INR 0.5 per litre

Verification: Published ice volume records and cost of AIR construction

Outcome 3:  AIRs delay the desertification of glacial-fed villages.

Indicator: Trend in no. of households across a 5 year period before and after AIR construction

Baseline: Negative trend

Target: Positive/Neutral trend

Verification: Satellite imagery

Output 3.1: % of AIR water supply compared to total village water supply

Indicator: Significant AIR water supply during early spring/irrigation season

Baseline: Unknown

Target: Above 30 percent

Verification: Streamflow measurements

Output 3.2: Perennial ice reservoirs that compound every consecutive winter.

Indicator: Volume of ice reservoir at the end of summer melt season (August)

Baseline: NA

Target: Atleast 5 lakh litres

Verification: Satellite imagery

The social goal we aim to achieve is the creation of sustainable automated ice reservoirs(AIRs), optimized through region-specific design customization to minimize manual intervention and empower local communities for operation. This initiative targets several objectives:

• Prolong the survival duration of villages by conserving their glacial resources, ensuring a reliable water supply for agricultural and domestic use.

• Mitigate population migration to nearby cities by providing sustainable livelihoods and essential resources within rural areas.

• Facilitate the recultivation of desertified croplands through efficient water management, promoting agricultural sustainability and food security in vulnerable regions.

By achieving these objectives, we aspire to foster resilience, sustainability, and prosperity within mountain communities, addressing pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges.

The key performance indicators measured are-

• Amount of ice formed during winter through bimonthly drone surveys,
• Increase in farming income through household surveys,
• Increase in agricultural produce through village market data,
• Round-the-year survival of AIRs, 

The case study on Automated Ice Reservoirs (AIRs) in Igoo village during the winter of 2023-2024 yielded significant quantitative and qualitative results:

Key Hypothesis 1: Ice reservoir meltwater supply enhances farm output and profitability.

- 4 million litres of ice stored.

- First irrigation cycle advanced by one month; flood irrigation frequency increased.

- 25% rise in annual household income, reaching INR 1.87 lakhs.

Key Hypothesis 2: AIRs are easier to maintain and scale.

- Reduced pipeline freezing events to 2 (from a baseline of 30).

- Achieved fourfold increase in ice storage, reaching 4 million litres.

- Decreased construction cost to INR 2 per litre (from INR 20 per litre).

Key Hypothesis 3: AIRs mitigate desertification of glacial-fed villages.

- AIRs supplied 30% of village water during critical periods in April and May.

- Established perennial ice reservoirs, compounding each consecutive winter (quantitative data not available).

- Percentage of winter water supply frozen in ice reservoirs (quantitative data not available).

The additional water supply provided by our AIRs will help farmers increase their produce and income, sustaining the village and reducing the migration from the villages. In the long term, our AIRs will buffer for the reducing glacial water supply and help the village survive longer.

Artificial glaciers are an ancient technology which were first documented in Gilgit Baltistan in 1800s. Back then, it was rooted in cultural practices that believed glaciers have gender. Through the use of science and technology, we want to convert this mythology into a practical reality. 

We do this by using sophisticated ice reservoir models documented in this publication along with 3D printed fountains, mechanized valves and apps that even rural farmers can use.

Please watch this video showcasing all the components used in the automation system.

Dr. Suryanarayanan B.(Co-Founder) is a glaciologist and designs the automation software. Basit Afzal(Co-Founder) is a  micro-irrigation specialist who chooses the approriate pipeline design and valves for the system.  Tashi(field manager) manages the installation and maintenance activities. We also have mechanical engineers who design efficient fountains and electronic engineers to manufacture printed circuit boards. Karuna and Athulya handle all the communication activities of the project. 5 of us are fulltime employees. Dharmik, Zulqarnain and Athulya work part time.

Dr. Suryanarayanan B.(Co-Founder) has been involved with the icestupa project for the past 7 years and has done a PhD in Switzerland on the ice reservoir technology. Basit Afzal(Co-Founder) has a decade of experience implementing water management strategies like micro-irrigation systems. Moreover, both founders have worked extensively with local NGOs of Ladakh that have helped more than 500 farmers use the ice reservoir technology. As a startup though, we are only a year old.

We have a diverse team from different religions, regions and specializations. As an organisation, we also strive to involve local villagers who are at the frontline of climate change and empower them. 

Our clients are NGOs, agricultural banks and governments who require technical support to upscale water management solutions like AIRs in water-stressed mountain villages.

To encourage ownership of the AIR, we train and develop a local villager team to became the village's water management committee(WMC). The WMC operates the system and are funded by the village whereas we just install the system and provide technical support when needed. Apart from AIRs, we also provide microirrigation services to the villages.

Since we are a one year old startup, around 60 % of our funds until now are coming from the savings of our founders. The rest is provided by a grant from GlaciersAlive association.

In the case of Ladakh, we have secured funds to install our technology in 6 villages next winter from an agricultural bank called NABARD and via tenders from the local government. We are also in talks with the Chile government and an NGO from Afghanistan to deploy AIRs in weather suitable regions there. 

We have raised no investments so far and unlikely to do so in the near future.

Our eventual goal is to deploy AIRs across the thousands of water stressed villages in the Andes, Hindu Kush Himalayas and the Alps. We plan to identify these villages by using global reanalysis products on weather and water stress for publishing a map where AIRs are effective as a water storage device.