Sonam Wangchuk, 50 year old Ladakhi engineer and teacher, is the only Indian laureates to win the Rolex Awards for Enterprise this year. The awards that took place on Nov 15 in LA, support exceptional, passionate individuals committed to improving life on the planet, and have just completed 40 years of existence. Wangchuk’s winning project is the creation of an artificial glacier or ‘Ice-Stupa’ as he calls it, which has been solving the problem of lack of water for agriculture in the desert landscapes of the western Himalayas. Named after Buddhist monuments, these conical ice mounds behave like mini artificial glaciers, slowly releasing water in the growing season. Sonam intends to build up to 20 such ice stupas, each 30 metres high and capable of supplying millions of litres of water. The long-term aim is to build an alternative university and engage youth in the environment. This project is among the 5 winners this year at the Rolex Awards for Enterprise.
