University of Gilgit-Baltistan, Karakoram International University Gilgit, and WAFA Foundation in collaboration with the local communities have made five artificial glaciers in Gilgit Baltistan.
These glaciers have been developed under the Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) project of the Ministry of Climate Change to mitigate the effects of climate change and to ensure the provision of water to the locals during summers.
According to details, two glaciers have been developed in Skardu while one each has been made in Nagar, Hussainabad, and Khuwardu. Four of these glaciers stand above 4,000 meters while one is higher than 3,200 meters.
Speaking in this regard, a spokesperson for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Pakistan, Mehvish Bukari, said that UNDP will observe these glaciers on a weekly basis to ensure local residents receive uninterrupted water supply during summers in the coming years.
How artificial glaciers are made?
An artificial glacier is made in three steps. First, an ice stupa is made and it is connected to a water source on higher ground through a polyethylene tube to draw water downhill.
Second, galvanized-iron pipes carry the water collected at the base of the ice stupa to a sprinkler system. The system sprays the water on the ice stupa which freezes the water.
Third, as the ice starts to accumulate on the stupa, more pipes are added to increase the height of the artificial glacier.
Which countries have made it?
A fifty-foot artificial glacier can be created in under a month and it can store more than a quarter of a million gallons of water. The glacier is connected with tanks that further supply the water to communities living downhill.
A number of countries have created artificial glaciers. Besides Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, India, and Nepal have made artificial glaciers.
