The Butterfly Effect
Do you know how the course of history was changed due to cloud cover over Kuroko, which was originally the target for bombing by US air force instead of Nagasaki, but this seemingly insignificant change set off a cascade of unexpected outcomes for Nagasaki. This is called as the ‘Butterfly Effect’, how a simplest, tiniest change can result in unpredictable consequences in comparison to what was pre-determined.
My Encounter Of The Butterfly Effect In Action
Something similar of this sort i got to witness in Ladakh as well. I have long been aware of global warming and its far-reaching effects but “to know ‘about’ a thing and to know a thing” are two different understandings. Working with Acres of Ice in Ladakh, I firsthand witnessed the situation and how climate change is reshaping these sensitive mountain ranges known to be the third pole of the world.
Researches that I came across stated as a fact that the ‘Hindu-kush Himalayan (HKH) Ranges’ are worst hit by the impact of Global warming. For pretext, Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) makes up the whole Ladakh landscape where Karakoram Range makes up; 30-40% Himalayas Proper makes up 30% Ladakh & Zanskar Ranges (trans-Himalayas) makes up 30-40% roughly out of the entire Ladakh spread in nearly 60,000 square kilometers. The HKH mountain range highly influence the weather resources and climate system of Southern Asia. And we, humans are influencing the these mountain ranges’ future which is definitely circling back to us. Who knew that the Air conditioner we use in our bedroom could affect a centuries old glacier sitting quietly in the lap of these mountain ranges. That, indeed, is the butterfly effect in action.
How Its Reshaping Livelihoods
In Ladakh, Leh itself has over 90% villages out of 215 villages rely entirely on Glacial melt, in essence, being a rain-shadow area, Ladakh is a high altitude desert so the precipitation is about 100mm per year, which is now dwindling even further, with no other alternate . The water crisis is very apparent during the sowing season which is between April to June. With only one crop cycle a year (known locally as the Zaid season), every drop of water counts, and its scarcity can mean the difference between survival and despair.
Above in the video who can see how the village community of Kulum had to look for alternate to survival. They had to leave the place where their families had lived for generation. There are many such villages in Ladakh which are on the verge of extinction due to water unavailability. Now, would you call it anthropogenic exodus or is it Exodus caused due to climatic change?
The Indigenous Solution
An act of resilience is seen also how quickly one responds to a changing situation. Similarly we see in ladakhi communities, they did not wait for an outsider to come and provide them the solution.
Churez: Churez is the most common water management practice in the villages of Ladakh. The core of this practice is to equally distribute the water amongst the families in the villages so it causes no confusion and hence no tension amongst the villagers for the water. In this system, the water comes to each family rotationally, so if there are 7 clans in the village, Mr. Sonam Angchuk and his brothers and cousins will get their water on Monday will get there water again on the next Monday, they can decide amongst themselves who will have water supply for how long which generally is decided based on the size of the irrigation land. They sometimes also have someone from the village assigned the duty to monitor that the practice is being followed properly with no cheating, this person is called a Churpon.
Open barricade of the Yura – image from Ayee village
Closed barricades of the Yura – image from Ayee village
Zings and Yuras: These are percolation tanks(or a big pit) dig near the natural spring water source for the water to collect in a pit and then released when the tank is full, this help settle silt that often comes along the spring water. This water is then channelised through Yuras or water canals which passes through each farmers crop field and can be used when needed or blocked to enter the field through a small baricade in the Yura when not needed.
Image of a zing or percolation tank. P.C. Karuna Sah
Khyakchu: This is a practice i found least commonly being practiced in the villages. It is a practice of watering the fields during winters so that the top layer of soil has water frozen as ice sheet throughout the winters which will eventually melt during the sowing season in spring, moisturizing the field for sowing.
Artificial Glaciers
Pioneered by Shri Chewang Norphel in villages like Nang and Shara, artificial glaciers—or ice reservoirs—capture surplus natural spring water during the winter. By diffusing water into small droplets that freeze quickly in subzero temperatures, these structures store water that later feeds the fields during the spring thaw. Today, methods vary from cascade, ice fall and diversion types to the iconic Ice Stupa, each tailored to preserve precious water for irrigation during the sowing season.
Types of Artificial Glaciers or Ice reservoirs. From left: Ice fall, Ice sheet, Ice stupa.
Reflecting On The Ripple Effects
These indigenous practices exemplify the butterfly effect in action. Small, community-driven innovations—born from necessity and honed over generations—can have a profound impact on sustaining livelihoods in the face of a changing climate. They remind us that every minor action, no matter how trivial it may seem, can ripple outward to create lasting change. As you ponder the delicate balance between human actions and nature’s resilience, ask yourself: How can the lessons from Ladakh inspire changes in your own community? What small, everyday actions might be the catalyst for a bigger transformation?
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