SRINAGAR: All four large ponds built under Project Him Sarovar at Spituk Farka in Leh have been filled with glacier meltwater within five months, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena said on Wednesday.
Saxena said on X that the four ponds had been completed and brought into operation, with the fourth reservoir recharged on September 9.
Construction of the ponds began on April 10. Each measures 60 metres by 40 metres by two metres and can hold around 60 lakh litres of glacier meltwater. Collectively, the four ponds have a storage capacity of nearly 2.4 crore litres.
The reservoirs are expected to create a command area of nearly 1,000 acres, according to the information shared by the administration.
Glacier meltwater from the Stok glacier stream is being channelled into the ponds. Seasonal flows from the stream were diverted through the Igoo-Phey Canal, which supplies water to the reservoirs.
The diversion is intended to conserve water that previously flowed unused and put it to use for irrigation, ecological restoration and long-term water security.
Saxena said the project demonstrated the administration’s focus on environmental resilience, agricultural revival and sustainable water security in Ladakh’s cold-desert environment.
