LEH, Sep 13: Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena has launched an ambitious project to revive and rejuvenate the rapidly shrinking Tso Kar Lake by channelising untapped glacier water from the Rupsho Kharnak stream in Changthang.
The project aims to channelise an average of 132 cusecs, or around 320 million litres of glacier water per day, from the Rupsho Kharnak stream into Tso Kar Lake. Situated at an altitude of nearly 15,000 feet, Tso Kar has reportedly shrunk by almost 70 per cent over the past decade, reducing from its original spread of nearly 11,000 acres to around 3,200 acres. The decline has also affected the lake’s ecosystem, including its population of migratory birds and the iconic Black-Necked Crane.
The entire volume of glacier water currently flows unused into the Sindhu River. By diverting this water towards Tso Kar, the administration expects to restore the lake significantly and potentially bring it close to its original condition within a year. The initiative is being described as a pioneering high-altitude ecological restoration effort, particularly given the harsh climatic conditions of the region, where summer temperatures often remain below 10 degrees Celsius and winter temperatures can fall to minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius.
The project was conceived by LG Saxena during his visit to Tso Kar Lake on August 10, when local villagers informed him about the rapid shrinking of the lake and the sharp decline in its avian population. Following the visit, the Lieutenant Governor directed the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department to conduct a detailed survey of the area. After around 15 days of groundwork and assessment, the department submitted its report on August 30, initially proposing an 11-km RCC channel.
However, keeping ecological concerns in mind, LG Saxena directed that a new RCC channel should not be constructed. Instead, the administration opted for a simple, low-cost system using natural depressions and gravity flow. The work began on a war footing from September 2, keeping in view the approaching winter and the possibility of water freezing at the high altitude.
The Rupsho Kharnak glacier stream is located around 11 km from Tso Kar at an altitude of nearly 18,000 feet. The plan involves utilising three natural depressions along the stream’s downward course towards the lake. The first depression covers around 270 acres, the second around 24 acres, and the third around 10 acres. Check dams fitted with three RCC pipes will be constructed at the outlets of the depressions to increase water levels and regulate the flow downstream.
From the third depression, the water will be allowed to flow directly into Tso Kar Lake, which is located only around 400 metres away. The water will be diverted through gravity using simple earthworks, avoiding the construction of concrete channels in the ecologically sensitive landscape.
The initial phase of the project has already shown encouraging results. Since September 9, around 20 cusecs of water from the Rupsho Kharnak stream has been successfully diverted into the first depression, which has begun filling rapidly. Water is being channelised through an earthen channel as well as a concrete canal that had remained defunct at the site since 1995. Within four days, approximately 20 per cent of the first depression had already been filled.
The cascading system is expected to provide important ecological benefits beyond simply replenishing Tso Kar. The three natural depressions will develop into new freshwater wetlands, where sediments carried by the glacier water can settle before the cleaner water reaches the main lake. Together, the three new water bodies are expected to hold nearly 1,230 million litres of water.
The newly created wetlands, spread across approximately 304 acres, are also expected to become additional habitats for migratory birds. Located near the Leh-Manali Highway, they could eventually emerge as new tourist attractions while strengthening the ecological character of the region.
“The success of the Stok Glacier project has proven that large-scale, sustainable water management is entirely feasible in our cold desert, using simple engineering. By redirecting the Rupsho Kharnak stream, we aim to bring life back into Tso Kar Lake,” LG Saxena said. He described the initiative as a potential blueprint for high-altitude ecological restoration and said that converting untapped glacier water into sustainable water resources would support agricultural prosperity, rural livelihoods and long-term climate resilience.
During his August 10 visit, local villagers and the Nambardar also informed the Lieutenant Governor that Tso Kar had once been a vast and thriving glacial lake that supported centuries of local salt trade while maintaining a delicate ecological balance. Its dramatic shrinkage in recent years has resulted in the loss of grazing areas and a decline in bird populations, with large dry patches now visible around areas that were once covered by deep water.
The revival project is also expected to provide significant relief to local communities, particularly Pashmina goat herders. The shrinking of Tso Kar has resulted in the disappearance of grazing grounds, forcing many herders to travel 50 to 75 kilometres away from their homes in search of pasture. Restoration of the lake and surrounding grasslands is expected to improve grazing availability, create livelihood opportunities and enable many herders to return closer to their homes.
The Tso Kar revival initiative therefore goes beyond restoring a shrinking water body. By combining glacier-water management, wetland creation, ecological conservation, tourism potential and support for traditional livelihoods, the project seeks to create a sustainable model for protecting Ladakh’s fragile high-altitude environment while securing its natural and economic future.