Chewang Norphel
Born in 1936, Chewang Norphel is a resident of Ladakh in the Himalayan region of India. A civil engineer and a former Sub-divisional Officer, Norphel had been to many areas of Ladakh, building school buildings, bridges, canals, roads etc. But what he did outside his job and does even after retirement is a remarkable story.
Being a cold mountain desert, Ladakh has an average rainfall of just 50 mm a year. The main source of irrigation water is the melting of snow and glaciers. Because of global warming, the glaciers are now receding quickly. Norphel saw how the farmers were facing water shortage during the cropping season. One reason is that the natural glaciers start melting in the month of June, whereas the sowing season starts in April and May. Norphel also noticed how, during winter, streams of water were just running off and being wasted.
Norphel wondered why the water could not be conserved as small glaciers during winter and become sources of water during summer. His method was to divert streams into the shady valleys and slow them down by constructing checkdams. The water would then freeze as small artificial glaciers even at the lower altitudes.
Norphel created the first artificial glacier in Phutse village. He made canals to divert the water from the main stream to small catchment areas located four km away from the village. He also created a shaded area to keep the water frozen in winters and constructed ice retaining walls. His first glacier, using local material and labour, cost him Rs.90,000.
Norphel has built more than 12 glaciers so far. Today, he is called the “Ice Man of India” and his work has drawn national and international appreciation. He received the Jamanalal Bajaj Award in 2010 and was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, in 2015.
Afterword: In 2012, the documentary filmmaker Aarti Shrivastava made the short film White Knight on Norphel and his work.
Great work I agree. I have watched check dams being created down south through watershed development programs of the government. It was so poorly done and at wrong places, with the vested interest of making money out of government funds. Being part of government programs, the documentary evidences were perfectly made. But the field situation indicated that the amount spent was much less than what was indicated in the documents. In audit we were unable to do anything more, as technical experts had also certified the work both for its value and quality. I am sure that many of them cease to exist as on date. Fresh breeze in pockets, like that of Norphel and his work, brings solace to some of us that good work still continues somewhere or the other.