Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 25: Fresh from his visit to the United States, where he carried a piece of Ladakh’s glacial ice to highlight the alarming rate of melting, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has penned an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging India to take the lead in global glacier preservation efforts.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Wangchuk warned that if immediate measures are not taken to restore and protect Himalayan glaciers, which serve as the lifeline for India’s major rivers, the next Maha Kumbh in 144 years could be held on dry riverbeds due to water scarcity.
Wangchuk embarked on a symbolic journey, carrying a piece of glacial ice from Khardung La, one of the world's highest motorable passes (5,359m, Leh district). The ice, insulated with Ladakh’s famed Pashmina wool, was taken to the United Nations (UN) office in Delhi before being flown to the US, where it traveled to Harvard Kennedy School, MIT in Boston, and the UN headquarters in New York. The journey concluded with the melting ice being immersed at the confluence of Hudson River and East River on February 21, ahead of the World Day for Glaciers on March 21.
With 2025 declared as the UN's International Year of Glacier Preservation, Wangchuk emphasized the urgent need to reduce demand instead of merely seeking new sources of supply to combat climate change. During his lectures, the melting ice beside him served as a poignant visual of the disappearing glaciers while discussions continued.
Recalling his arduous trek to retrieve ice from Khardung La Glacier, Wangchuk lamented the rapid glacial retreat in the Himalayas, stressing that awareness among the general public remains alarmingly low.
In his letter to PM Modi, he urged India to take global leadership in glacier conservation, emphasizing that the Himalayas hold the world's third-largest ice reserves, after the Arctic and Antarctica, often referred to as the 'Third Pole'. Given that India's sacred rivers—Ganga, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra—originate from these glaciers, he called for urgent intervention.
Praising Modi’s environmental initiatives like 'Mission LiFE', Wangchuk proposed key measures:
• Setting up a national commission to assess the state of Himalayan glaciers
• Declaring major glaciers such as Gangotri and Yamunotri as national treasures
• Framing policies that provide special protection for Himalayan glaciers
"If the current rate of melting and deforestation continues, our sacred rivers may turn into seasonal streams, threatening millions of lives and ecosystems," Wangchuk cautioned, urging immediate policy action and public awareness initiatives.
With growing concerns over climate change and water security, Wangchuk’s call for glacier preservation resonates as a critical issue for India’s future.