The artificial glacier growing in the desert

A traditional stone stupa in the Phyang valley in Ladakh.

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Sonam Wangchuk shows building plans to monks and colleagues at the planned site for a university.

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Sonam Wangchuk shows building plans to monks and colleagues at the planned site for a university.

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The stupas are not maintenance-free: "Currently they need a lot of manual intervention: the fountains can freeze when the pipes ice up, things like that," says Wangchuk.

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The stupas are not maintenance-free: "Currently they need a lot of manual intervention: the fountains can freeze when the pipes ice up, things like that," says Wangchuk.

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Climate change is making Ladhak <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/%E2%80%98Climate-change-is-changing-landscape-of-Ladakh%E2%80%99/article10233640.ece" target="_blank">even drier</a>, leaving farmers without water in the crucial planting months of April and May, right before the glaciers start to melt in the summer sun.

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Climate change is making Ladhak even drier, leaving farmers without water in the crucial planting months of April and May, right before the glaciers start to melt in the summer sun.

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Ladakh -- meaning "land of high passes" -- is sandwiched between two of the world's tallest mountain ranges, the Himalayas and the Kunlun.

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Ladakh -- meaning "land of high passes" -- is sandwiched between two of the world's tallest mountain ranges, the Himalayas and the Kunlun.

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An ice stupa in the Ladakh region of India. This 'artificial glacier' is created using only a pipe and water pressure and can help farmers fight the effects of climate change in the region.

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An ice stupa in the Ladakh region of India. This 'artificial glacier' is created using only a pipe and water pressure and can help farmers fight the effects of climate change in the region.