Vinai Kumar Saxena launches 800 acre land restoration project in Ladakh

LEH, May 24: Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena announced the launch of an ambitious ecological and degraded land restoration drive at Spituk Village in Leh, aiming to revive nearly 800 acres of barren land.

The initiative utilizes simple and cost-effective freshwater engineering to breathe life into terrain that has remained unproductive for hundreds of years.

By channelizing excess water from the recently restored Igoo-Phey Canal using simple machinery, the project will steadily hydrate the parched soils and flush out toxic salts.

This process is expected to trigger natural vegetation growth and transform the existing wastelands into fertile, moisture-retaining ecosystems.

This new environmental initiative builds upon the success of Project Him Sarovar and complements the ongoing revival of the Igoo-Phey Canal, which currently irrigates over 4,300 hectares of land in the region.

The project is designed to recharge groundwater levels, bind the soil to prevent erosion, and create new avenues for sustainable agriculture.

Saxena expressed optimism that the drive will serve as a definitive model for ecological transformation across Ladakh, ultimately restoring degraded areas and expanding the total land available for local agricultural activities.