India should take lead in preserving glaciers: Sonam Wangchuk writes open letter to PM

New Delhi, Feb 25: Fresh from his tour to the US where he carried a piece of ice from a glacier in Ladakh to flag their fast melting, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that India should take a lead in addressing the issue.

Drawing attention to the gravity of the situation in the Himalayas, Wangchuk told a press conference in the capital that if steps are not taken to restore these glaciers which are the source of our perennial rivers, the next Maha Kumbh after 144 years may be held on sand as the rivers may dry up.

Wangchuk, who has been working on preserving Himalayan glaciers, travelled from Ladakh to Delhi, and then to the US with a piece of ice from a glacier in Khardung La. The ice was placed in a container wrapped in Ladakh's iconic Pashmina wool for insulation