What is the name of your organization?
Acres of Ice
What is the name of your solution?
Automated Ice Reservoirs
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Automated Ice Reservoirs that store winter water for mountain villages facing glacier retreat, ensuring spring irrigation when it's needed most.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Ladakh, India
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
India
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Communities in Ladakh and the Hindu Kush Himalayas face severe water shortages due to glacial retreat, unpredictable snowfall, and rising temperatures. Over 90% of Ladakh’s villages depend on glacial meltwater, yet climate change is disrupting this natural cycle, leaving farmers without water during crucial planting months.
This crisis affects 14 million people across 14,000+ villages in high-altitude regions globally. In Ladakh, 10% of villages already face extreme water stress, and the problem is worsening. Traditional ice reservoirs (like Icestupas) are promising but require constant maintenance and skilled labor, limiting their scalability. Without automation, communities struggle to sustain these structures long-term.
Acres of Ice automates ice reservoir construction and management, reducing maintenance needs and optimising water storage. By integrating sensors and IoT-driven controls, our system ensures sustainable, hands-off water access—helping communities adapt to climate change while securing their livelihoods.
What is your solution?
Our solution serves high-altitude farming and herding communities in Ladakh and the Hindu Kush Himalayas, where 90% of villages rely on glacial meltwater for survival. Glacial retreat and erratic snowfall threaten water access, impacting agriculture, livestock, and livelihoods.
Who is impacted?
• Smallholder farmers struggling with unpredictable irrigation.
• Communities at risk of migration due to worsening water scarcity.
How it works:
• Identifying Vulnerable Villages – We assess high-risk areas and secure permissions from local bodies and communities.
• Survey & Planning – We map the site using remote sensing and GIS tools for precise selection.
• Community Involvement – Formation of Water Management Committees, training them in system maintenance, monitoring and troubleshooting.
• System Assembly & Installation – Our IoT-integrated automation system is pre-assembled before deployment.
• Automation in Action – A sensor-driven control system regulates ice formation:
1. Spray Mode – 3D-printed nozzles optimize water freezing.
2. Drain Mode – Prevents pipeline freezing.
• Tech-Enabled Monitoring – A real-time dashboard tracks performance, mode and sensor data.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Water scarcity is the biggest challenge for remote villages in Ladakh and the Hindu Kush Himalayas. These communities, mainly farmers and herders, depend on glacial meltwater, but climate change is making it unreliable. With glaciers retreating and snowfall becoming unpredictable, many villages face severe seasonal water shortages.
Without a stable water supply, farming becomes difficult, livestock suffers, and families are forced to migrate. Traditional ice reservoirs have helped but require constant maintenance, making them impractical for long-term use.
Our solution, Automated Ice Reservoirs (AIR), provides a hands-off way to store winter water as ice and release it when needed. The system runs on sensors that determine when to spray water to form ice and when to drain to prevent freezing. This ensures a consistent water supply for irrigation, drinking, and livestock without constant manual effort. Beyond installation, we work closely with communities, setting up trainings for locals to monitor and maintain the system.
