Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Sunday (May 24, 2026) launched an ambitious ecological restoration project to reclaim nearly 800 acres of barren land near Spituk and transform it into a productive ecosystem through innovative freshwater recharge techniques. Officials said that the pilot project has been undertaken at the direction of the L-G Sinha after identifying around 800 acres of land near Spituk village in Leh that has remained barren for centuries.
“The initiative seeks to utilise excess water from the recently restored Igoo-Phey irrigation canal by diverting it across the degraded landscape through temporary channels and minor earthwork interventions using tractors and other machinery”, they said. Ladakh receives less than 100 mm of annual rainfall and is heavily dependent on glacial meltwater, they said.
However, rapid runoff during early spring often leads to soil erosion, inadequate groundwater recharge, and declining soil moisture, contributing to the expansion of arid and unproductive land. According to officials, the project aims to alter the local ecosystem by allowing freshwater to spread and percolate into the soil, thereby replenishing depleted aquifers, restoring groundwater levels, and triggering natural vegetation growth.
