India

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk raises concern over Himalayan glaciers

February 25, 2025

SRINAGAR: Prominent climate activist from Ladakh, Sonam Wangchuk, on Tuesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take a lead and set up a commission to assess the state of glaciers in the Himalayas. He said that the Centre should formulate special policies to protect the glaciers of Himalayas and also declare glaciers like Gangotri and Yamunotri as national treasures.

The letter follows Wangchuk’s return from his 12-day tour to the US, during which he also carried a 7 kg block of ice from the fast melting Khardungla glacier in Ladakh – at an altitude of 18,000 feet – wrapped in pashmina wool, also produced in Ladakh. It was a symbolic gesture to make people aware about the melting of glaciers and climate change.

After 12 days of US journey, the block of ice was cast into the Atlantic Ocean in New York at the confluence of Hudson River and Eastern River. The ice block still weighed 3 kgs.

“Let the ice from the glaciers come to the ocean at its own pace. Please live simply in cities so that we in the mountains could live simply,” said Wangchuk.

While admitting PM’s initiatives regarding saving the environment, including mission ‘LIFE’, Wangchuk hoped that under Modi’s leadership, water bodies of Asia will be safe.