Ladakh Crisis Heat, History, and the Fight for Survival in India’s Strategic North
Leh - Ladakh, the high-altitude cold desert, finds itself at a critical confluence of environmental devastation, political suspension, and geopolitical tension, threatening India’s strategic posture on its northern frontier. Separated from Jammu and Kashmir and placed under direct Central administration in August 2019 with promises of faster development, the region is now defined by widespread public agitation demanding statehood and constitutional protection under the Sixth Schedule.
The Looming Crisis of the Third Pole
The crisis in Ladakh is fundamentally ecological. As a vital part of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan ecosystem often called the planet’s "Third Pole" the region's glaciers are retreating at an alarming rate. Between 2011 and 2020 these glaciers, which feed major rivers like...








