Ladakh LG redirects 90 million litres of glacier melt to irrigate 12 villages

During a visit to Chuchot, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena was approached by traditional village chief Mirza Hussain, who highlighted acute water shortages. Saxena then launched a project to capture meltwater from the Stok Kangri Glacier, which had previously flowed unchecked into the River Indus. Engineers created two earthwork channels that divert roughly 80 million litres per day into the existing Igoo-Phey Irrigation Canal, boosting its capacity from 50 to almost 90 cusecs and ensuring daily water for 12 villages covering more than 1,000 acres.

A further 10 million litres were redirected into a dry canal at Chuchot to irrigate nearby farmland. Officials claim the entire 90-million-litre flow was captured within two days at no cost, offering a replicable blueprint for water management across the Union Territory.