Impact Overview
Every deployment is documented seasonally and evaluated based on performance, cost efficiency and operational sustainability.
Below is a snapshot from the most recent campaign cycle.
Campaign Metrics (2025-26)
25 Million Liters Stored
Across 12 monitored AIR sites
2 AIS Deployments
Pilot and institutional installations
Automated Ice Reservoir (AIR)
Field Impact
AIR deployments expanded storage scale and monitoring coverage across high-altitude snow-fed catchments.
Deployments focused on increasing seasonal reliability while simplifying construction and maintenance.
Largest Reservoir: Ursi, Leh
Ursi is a remote mountain village situated at an altitude of 3,700 meters, nestled between the Zanskar and Indus rivers. With only 16 households, it is one of the smallest communities in the project. Historically, the village has faced severe water shortages, relying solely on spring sources with no natural glacier. At one point, villagers even considered abandoning the settlement entirely. The catchment is entirely snow-fed, with stream pathways likely to become active only during periods of heavy snowfall.
Funded by Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV), the Ursi AIR system achieved a maximum ice volume of 4.6 million litres, making it the largest ice reservoir among our sites. The system performed well using the mean air temperatures of -4°C (with minimums reaching -13°C) and moderate water temperatures averaging 4°C. Due to the ice reservoir being shaded in a gorge, temperatures were always favourable at this site, so the automation system kept the fountain mostly on.
In our household surveys, more than 80% households reported an increase in the land area they could irrigate.
Operational Autonomy: Ayee, Leh
Ayee is a small village of approximately 40 households located in the Nubra Valley, around 200 km from Leh. Situated at an altitude of 3,500 meters, this community faces significant water challenges due to the absence of a nearby glacier. Instead, the village relies solely on a small spring for its water needs, which cannot provide sufficient flow for agricultural activities.
Funded by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development), The Ayee AIR system achieved a respectable maximum ice volume of 2.1 million litres. The site data confirms Ayee as our warmest location, with mean air temperatures of -2°C (with minimums reaching -11°C) and relatively warm water temperatures averaging 5°C. Despite these warmer conditions, the system performed efficiently, with fountains active during the nights and off during the days even during winter.
Automated irrigation System (AIS)
Deployment Impact
AIS deployments focus on reducing irrigation inefficiencies through sensor-based scheduling and automated control.
Cultivating the Virgin Land: Saspol, LEH
Located about 60 km before Leh, the village of Saspol serves as a key settlement in the Sham Valley and is often known as the “fruit bowl” of Ladakh due to its thriving orchards, particularly of apricot.
With the growing demand for apricot and willow cultivation, the local community sought to expand agricultural production by bringing previously uncultivated virgin land under farming. This initiative became a pilot site for the installation of an automated irrigation system.
The system uses soil moisture sensors to continuously monitor moisture levels and automatically control pumps and valves based on real-time data. By ensuring irrigation only when necessary, it optimizes water use while significantly reducing labor requirements—an important advantage for community-led farming in the region.
This project demonstrates how smart irrigation technologies can help expand productive land and support sustainable agriculture in Ladakh’s challenging environment.
A Leap into the Future: University of Ladakh
The University of Ladakh, formerly a part of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), is located along the banks of the Indus River and has long served as a backbone of agricultural research in Ladakh and other cold arid regions across the Himalayas.
The institution has carried out extensive research on climate-resilient crops and innovative farming technologies suited to the region’s challenging environment. To address the challenge of limited manpower, an automated micro-irrigation system was implemented as a retrofit upgrade to its existing infrastructure.
The system significantly improved operational efficiency, reducing manpower requirements by 60% and achieving 30% greater water conservation compared to the previous system. It also provides precise control over water usage and generates reliable data to support future research and innovation.
Supported by the University of Ladakh, this project represents an important step toward modernizing agricultural research and promoting efficient resource management in the Himalayan cold-arid ecosystem.
