Glacier grafting: How an Indigenous art is countering water scarcity

Al JazeeraCenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by Ijlal Haider,Faras GhaniFebruary 17, 2026 at 04:54 PM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

Faced with water scarcity due to rising temperatures and melting glaciers, residents in the Himalayan region of northern Pakistan are reviving a centuries-old Indigenous technique called glacier grafting. This involves transplanting ice to high-altitude locations to create artificial glaciers. Pakistan, despite being a low contributor to global emissions, is highly vulnerable to climate change and home to approximately 13,000 glaciers. Glacier grafting, also known as glacier marriage, was historically used for defense but has evolved into a method for managing water resources. Similar techniques are also used in the Ladakh region of India to preserve ice.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Yarkand 30% University of Baltistan 40% Mir Syed Ali Hamadani 40% Ladakh ×250% National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) 50% Zakir Hussain Zakir 60% Skardu ×260% Himalayan region ×270% Pakistan ×790%

Keywords

glacier grafting 100% water scarcity 90% climate change 80% artificial glaciers 70% pakistan 70% glacier melting 60% himalayan region 50% indigenous knowledge 50% traditional technique 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.30

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Pakistan

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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glacier grafting water scarcity climate change artificial glaciers pakistan glacier melting himalayan region indigenous knowledge traditional technique

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