From the Pamirs in Central Asia to the Karakoram and Himalayas of South Asia – the roof of the world, Earth’s largest repository of ice outside the poles, is melting. Increasingly frequent mountain disasters have put billions of lives at risk. Endangered wild species like the Snow Leopard are suffering and so are the 1.65 billion people dependent on these mountains and some of Asia’s mightiest rivers originating here. In the villages of the upper Indian Himalayas, life revolves around basic survival in an uninhabitable environment. The snow that makes half the year unlivable is also the lifeblood of the agrarian populations that depend on it for the only harvest of the year. Today, low snowfall and receding glaciers threaten livelihoods in this region, forcing them to become climate refugees.
‘No Water, No Village’ traces the water challenges faced by the agricultural villages of Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, and Zanskar, Ladakh. The film also highlights how scientists and activists work for local solutions when governments fail to protect their culture and interests. It is an ode to life in the frozen deserts and the resilience of the communities that rely on glaciers and snow to survive.
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