Stupa

• Prize
  Shortlist
• Photographer
  Greg White, United Kingdom
• Date of Photograph
  April 2019
• Category
  Asia
• Studio
  Greg White Photography Ltd
• Image Location
  India

An ‘ice stupa’ is an artificial glacier that stores waste stream waters so that the water can be used at a later date when supplies are scarce. It has been cleverly devised and is used as a solution to the water crisis faced by local farmers in Kashmir, northern India. The conical tower shape ensures that the surface exposed to the sun is minimal, so premature melting is avoided. The idea is simple – it needs no pumps or power, instead relying on physics of water and uses the otherwise wasteful streamflow water.