Workshop was jointly organised by G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE) and Indian National Young Academy of Science (INYAS) under Rural Science Education Technology Utility Program
LEH: A two-day training-cum-workshop on climate change, water security and human health has sought to equip rural Ladakh’s school students and teachers with scientific knowledge and practical tools to understand and respond to the region’s growing environmental challenges.
Titled “Climate Change, Water Security & Human Health in the Cold-Desert Ladakh: A Lab-to-Field Demonstration,” RuSETUP-2026 was jointly organised by the G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE) and the Indian National Young Academy of Science (INYAS) under INYAS’s flagship Rural Science Education Technology Utility Program (RuSETUP). The programme was held on August 11–12 at the Eliezer Joldan Memorial College (EJM College) Conference Hall in Leh and also conducted online.
The workshop brought together 29 students and teachers from government schools, including designated PM Shri schools, across rural Ladakh, exposing them to the impacts of climate change on snow, glaciers, water resources, ecosystems and human health through expert lectures, demonstrations and field-based learning.
The programme was chaired by Eshay Tundup, Executive Director, Ladakh Ecological Development and Environmental Group. Sonam Lotus, Scientist and Head, Met Centre Leh, India Meteorological Department, attended as Guest of Honour, while Prof. Stanzin Yangdol, Principal, EJM College, Leh, was the Special Guest.
The programme began with a formal welcome and introduction to the Institute by Dr. Sandipan Mukherjee, Scientist and Head, Ladakh Regional Centre (LRC), NIHE, followed by ceremonial lamp lighting. Dr. Purushottam K. Garg, Scientist, LRC-NIHE, briefed participants on the background, objectives and schedule of the workshop.
In his inaugural remarks, Dr. I.D. Bhatt, Director-In-Charge, G.B. Pant NIHE, welcomed the participants and underlined the urgent need to promote environmental sustainability through inclusive, focused and science-based initiatives.
The first technical session featured two keynote lectures addressing some of the most critical environmental issues confronting the Himalayan region.
Prof. Kalachand Sain, FNA, FNASc, JC Bose National Fellow, CSIR-NGRI, Hyderabad, delivered the first keynote on “Climate-induced Glacial Hazards and Plausible Remediation.” He highlighted different hazard scenarios emerging across the Himalaya, along with coping strategies, with particular emphasis on Ladakh.
The second keynote was delivered by Prof. Som Kumar Sharma, Professor and Deputy Head, Academic & Administration, Space and Atmospheric Sciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, on “Unravelling Clouds and Boundary-Layer Processes over Ladakh: PRL’s Indian Lidar Network Perspective on Climate Change, Water Security, and Human Health.”
Prof. Sharma discussed cloud dynamics, pollution characteristics, human health and water security, explaining how atmospheric and climatic processes are interconnected in the high-altitude environment of Ladakh.
The session was moderated by Dr. Vijay Kumar, NIT Srinagar; Dr. Santanu Mukherjee, Shoolini University; Dr. Shweta Yadav, Central University of Jammu; and Dr. Jayaramulu Kolleboyina, IIT Jammu.
Technical Session-II continued the focus on water and climate systems through two further keynote lectures. Prof. Sumit Sen, Head, Department of Hydrology, IIT Roorkee, spoke on “Hydrology: Watching Water Move.” In an accessible manner, he introduced participants to hydrology, climatology, groundwater and surface water, while explaining how climate change is altering these systems and affecting human communities.
The second lecture, “Climate Change and its Impact in the Himalaya,” was delivered by Dr. Sandipan Mukherjee, Scientist and Head, LRC-NIHE. He explained the cascading effects of climate change on snow, glaciers, water resources, grasslands and wetland ecosystems and discussed possible adaptation strategies.
The workshop went beyond classroom-based learning through a dedicated demonstration session led by Mohit Prajapati, Mohd Ilyas and Abhishek Khati, Research Scholars at LRC-NIHE. The field component took the participants to the Khardung glacier, turning Ladakh’s mountain landscape into a living laboratory for climate and environmental science.
The guided expedition was led by Dr. Purushottam K. Garg and Dr. Ajay K. Gupta, Scientists at LRC-NIHE. The field session began with an orientation talk by Dr. Rajesh Joshi, Scientist-F and Head, Centre for Environmental Assessment & Climate Change, NIHE, and Head, Sikkim Regional Centre.
At the glacier site, Dr. Garg delivered an on-site lecture on “State and Fate of Himalayan Glaciers.” Participants received hands-on exposure to glacial processes and landforms, meltwater and water-quality assessment, geospatial monitoring tools and real-time weather observations.
The organisers said the programme was aligned with the INYAS vision of fostering scientific curiosity and strengthening science education and awareness among young learners, particularly in rural areas.
By taking students and teachers from the classroom to the glacier landscape, RuSETUP-2026 connected scientific concepts with the environmental realities of Ladakh. The programme helped participants understand not only the drivers of climate change but also their cascading consequences for snow, glaciers, water resources, human health and overall climate vulnerability.
The workshop concluded successfully with enthusiastic participation and highly positive feedback. It also strengthened local capacity for environmental monitoring, climate-risk awareness and community-based adaptation, while encouraging participants to support science-based solutions for climate resilience and sustainable development.
