LEH , LADAKH

CLIMATIC CHANGES OCCURING DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING

Abrupt changes characterize of Ladakh’s snowfall and rain

PROBLEMS DUE TO THE RISE IN TEMPRATURES

• Ladakh, which on average receives a mere 100mm of rainfall, is that in 2016 it received 20.9mm if rain.
• estimate indicates that there was a 3 degrees Celsius rise in temperature from 1973 to 2008 while the rest of
India saw a 1 degree Celsius spike during the same period
• The numbers are alarming. There was 50% to 80% deficit in annual precipitation in Ladakh between 2013 and
2017, and 2016 was a year of record low rain.
• In western Himalayas, the glacier cover has reduced by almost 20% and some of the glaciers are facing an
existential threat. Experts say global warming has affected the rainfall pattern adversely in these higher regions.
• Production of some crops declined by 30% to 50% in the past few years. Crops such as potato, barley, turnip,
radish and peas have suffered due to non-availability of water.

AGRICULTURE IN LEH
• he Ladakhis have survived over the centuries in this harsh landscape by harnessing the water from the rivers and snowmelt streams in elaborate irrigation systems. The main
crop is barley, which is roasted and ground into a powder called tsampa. This was a staple food of Ladakh. The barley is also used to make local beer called chang.
• Other crops such as • wheat • Tomatos
• mustard Due to rise in tempratue vegetables such as • Bell Peppers
• apples • cucumbers
• apricots
• potato
• barley
• turnip
• radish
• pea

In Ladakh, the northern most region of India, all life depends on snow. Ladakh is a high altitude desert with only 50mm of rainfall. Ladakh’s water comes from the snow melt –
both the snow that falls on the land and provides the moisture for farming and pastures, as well as the snow of the glaciers that gently melts and feeds the streams that are the
lifeline of the tiny settlements. Due to Climate change Less snow is falling, so there is less moisture for growing crops. In village after village, we are witnessing the end of farming if
snow melt on the fields was the only source of moisture.

TECHNIQUES USED TO CUNTER THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

• he water that melts from natural glaciers due to high temperatures in summer goes to waste as it flows into the river. Instead, if • This earthen-walled underground greenhouse has lots of natural clay to absorb heat. • Care must be taken waterproofing, draining and ventilating the greenhouse. The most efficient pit ANTICIPATED CHANGES IN NEXT 20 YEARS DUE TO
this water can be stored in summer and autumn so that it can form a glacier in winter, then this artificial glacier would melt in The two most important factors in a pit greenhouse are the large amount of thermal greenhouses have south-facing windows. The north wall stores heat.
spring and provide water to the villagers at the right time. mass (stone, soil, water), and its positioning toward the sun. GLOBAL WARMING

• Rise in the temperature resulting into a wide

range of fruits vegetables and crops for
farming
• snowfall turnig itself to heavy rains
• water scarcity at its peak due to the
increasing pase of tourism in the area
• decreasing addaptation on traditional
methods for construction.

MATERIALS USED FOR CONSTRUCTION TRADITIONALLY

Traditional houses in Ladakh are built using stones, timbers and mud in various forms, such as sun-dried mud bricks and rammed earth for plastering oors and roofs. The buildings re ect people’s lifestyle, with pens for their cows on the ground oor and Buddhist altar rooms on the top oor.To make the buildings suited to the local climate, they are well-insulated with mud and straw, and the most im-
portant room always faces south for sunshine. The modern architecture recognises this technique of passive solar energy.In recent years, the changed weather pattern in the Himalaya has brought more rain in the summer. This is a problem as the at mud roofs are designed for the originally dry climate. Sundried earth blocks are the primary unit of masonry construction. Usually made in the sizes of
300X150X150 mm they are employed in the construction of Walls of 300 or 450 mm thickness,These earth blocks are made from alluvial soil along the banks of Indus. A majority of earth blocks are made in Shey about 15km away from Leh. In some cases stone blocks are used in the lower courses of the walls for add-
ed strength and protection against water, especially in low lying areas. Finally the wall is nished in Mud plaster.Roofs are constructed in at spans by using trunk of the local poplar tree as beams placed about 50-60cm apart. The diameter of the trunks is 15cm on average while the length of the trunk being 3 to 4 meters. These beams are covered by using poplar willows spread in the other direction.
The usual thick- ness of the willows is 20 to 30mm. A 15 to 20cm layer of dry grass, hay etc. is spread over the layer of willows and nally nished with plaster of clayey mud.

The southern face of the main building of SECMOL Alternative School is all windows as it
gets maximum sunrise to sunset exposure in winters. Ladakh is not connected to the na-
tional electricity grid. It has a few areas that get power from local hydropower plants while
de-centralised solar power helps in many other remote areas but is highly inadequate.
SITE OPTIONS
Storage cellars in the basement of the houses to store fruits and vegetables in winter.
The use of dry toilets in Ladakh saves water and
helps to produce organic manure at no additional
cost
Metal roofs are used insted of mud and straw roofs to protect the houses from heavy
rains
The SECMOL School’s main building’s south side has a huge
thick plastic sheet attached to these windows at an angle. This
stops strong chilly winds but allows sunlight and heat in winters.
This sheet is rolled up in summer to let in fresh air and to avoid
overheating.