In the Himalayan village of Sakti, farmers strugglestruggle/ˈstrʌɡ.əl/L2努力奋斗，艰难应对to try very hard to do something that is difficult with a harsh climate. The village sits at almost 4,000 meters and receives almost no rainfall. Farmers like Gelak Gutme grow wheat, peas, and potatoes during a short summer. They need water in early spring to plant their crops. However, global warming has destroyed the small glaciers that once provided water. "Now there is scarcityscarcity/ˈskeər.sə.ti/L2短缺，不足a situation where there is not enough of something of water. Last year I lost everything," Gutme says.
To solve this problem, local villages created ice stupas. These are large towers of ice made by spraying water into freezing air. The ice melted in spring and supplied water. But the system was difficult to manage. Pipes often cracked when temperatures dropped below minus 20 degrees Celsius. Farmers had to camp near the water source and pour boiling water on frozen pipes during the night.
A new system called an Automated Ice Reservoir (AIR) now improves the process. It uses a computer-controlled nozzle that shoots water like a fountain. Sensors check the temperature and drain the pipes if it gets too cold. This prevents cracked pipes. Also, the system is more efficientefficient/ɪˈfɪʃ.ənt/L2高效的，有效率的working in a way that does not waste time or energy because it sprays water in short bursts and waits for each layer to freeze. During the winter of 2025, 10 AIR projects ran across Ladakh.
Farmers now have a more reliablereliable/rɪˈlaɪ.ə.bəl/L2可靠的，可信赖的able to be trusted or depended on water source. Gutme hopes the village will build two more artificialartificial/ˌɑːr.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/L2人造的，非天然的made by people, not occurring naturally glaciers. "I am a farmer, land is all that I have to survive on. I don't know the technology, all that I know today is that I have water to grow my crops," he says. The new system helps recharge groundwater and revive springs. As a result, fewer young people want to leave the village for city jobs.
