Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Ladakh Diverts Glacier Water to Revive 1,000 Acres
Ladakh has found a way to use water from melting glaciers and snow.
Much of this water was flowing toward the Indus River instead of helping farms.
Officials dug two trenches to move some of the water into the Igoo-Phey Canal.
The canal should now receive much more water than before.
This may give farmers in 12 villages water every day instead of on a roster.
More than 1,000 acres of dry farmland could benefit.
Officials expect better harvests, farm incomes, and rural employment.
Vinai Kumar Saxena said similar projects could be used in other parts of Ladakh.
About 90 million litres of glacier and snowmelt water flow daily through Stok Nallah toward the Indus River.
Two trenches diverted approximately 26 of the channel’s 36.60 cusecs into the Igoo-Phey Canal.
The canal’s water supply is expected to increase from about 50 cusecs to nearly 80 cusecs.
More than 1,000 acres across 12 villages could receive improved irrigation and daily water access.
Ladakh plans to explore similar low-cost water-diversion projects elsewhere in the Union Territory.
- Who
- The Ladakh administration, its Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, and farmers in 12 villages.
- What
- Officials diverted approximately 26 cusecs of glacier and snowmelt water from Stok Nallah into the Igoo-Phey Canal.
- When
- The diversion trenches were created on August 14; the articles do not specify the year.
- Where
- At Stok Nallah in the Leh area of Ladakh, with water directed toward the Igoo-Phey Canal serving Igoo and Phey villages.
- Why
- To use water that had been flowing toward the Indus River, improve irrigation, strengthen water security, and support agriculture.
- Daily water flow
- Stok Nallah was assessed at 36.60 cusecs, equivalent to nearly 90 million litres over 24 hours.
- Water diverted
- Approximately 26 cusecs was directed toward the canal: 19 cusecs for Igoo and seven cusecs for Phey.
- Remaining water
- Authorities are planning how to use the remaining 10 cusecs.
- Canal supply
- The Igoo-Phey Canal’s flow is expected to rise from around 50 cusecs to nearly 80 cusecs.
- Canal history
- The 43-kilometre Igoo-Phey Canal was constructed in phases between 1979 and 2005 and had suffered from inadequate supply.
- Expected beneficiaries
- The additional water could provide daily supplies to 12 villages and expand irrigation across more than 1,000 acres.
- Project cost and expansion
- The diversion used basic earthwork and a JCB without capital expenditure; the administration plans to examine similar projects elsewhere in Ladakh.
- Reported canal scope
- One statement describes the water as being diverted into the Igoo-Phey Canal, while another refers to the Igoo-Phey and Yokyur canals.
