In the frost-shooting valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistani farmers struggle on water button by building artificial glaciers shaped like towering ice cream cones.

These “ice cream stupas” are handmade in winter by spraying water in the freezing air where it turns into ice and accumulates in massive structures that slowly melt in the spring – giving irrigation when natural glacial meal has not yet begun.

YouTube -Tutorial turns into survival tool

The idea was not born locally. It came from the cross of the border in Ladakh, India, where environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk developed the concept almost a decade ago.

“We discovered artificial glaciers on YouTube,” said Ghulam Hashmi, a farmer from Hussainabad. “We studied the process online and built our first.”

Despite tensions between the two countries, knowledge of digital borders and found eager adopters in Gilgit Baltistan.

Science behind Stupas

Zakir Hussain Zakir, a professor at the University of Baltistan, explained how it works.

“The water must be driven upwards so that it freezes in the middle of the air when the temperature is below zero,” he said.

The result is a cone -shaped ice formation that looks like a Buddhist stupa. These towers gradually melt in the spring, mimic natural glacial melting and support early planting.

A new agricultural rhythm

Muhammad Raza, a farmer in Hussainabad, said that eight ice cream stupas were built this winter and stored nearly 20 million liters of water.

“Before, we had to wait until June for glaciers to melt. Now we can start planting much earlier,” he said.

Bashir Ahmed, a 26-year-old farmer in the nearby Pari Village, added that the improved water supply has led to several harvests.

“We used to have a growing season. Now we can grow wheat, barley and potatoes up to three times a year,” he said.

A growing movement in the mountains

Over 20 villages in Gilgit-Baltistan have adopted the technique since the first stupas were built in 2018.

According to Rashid-out-Din, head of the GLOF-2 program during the UN-Pakistan Climate Adaptation Initiative, more than 16,000 people are now taking advantage of Ice Stupa Irrigation.

The method avoids the need for expensive infrastructure such as reservoirs or water tanks and fits well with local topography and climate.

Climate impact is hitting harder in the north

Pakistan’s northern regions are at the front lines of climate change. Temperatures in the country have risen twice as fast as the global average, and the snowfall falls in places that once depended on it.

“From the end of October to early April, we received strong snowfall,” said Sher Muhammad, an ice cream expert at ICOG. “Now winters are very dry.”

Most of the region’s water traditionally comes from spring snowmelt, not glown meltdown, which makes the winter precipitation important.

Local innovation, global relevance

With limited resources, residents of Gilgit-Baltistan have found an environmentally healthy and cost-effective way of adapting.

“To climate change, there are neither rich nor poor-all are vulnerable,” said 24-year-old Yasir Parvi. “In our village we took a chance with Ice Stupas. And it worked.”