Born in Uley Topko near Alchi in Ladakh, he received his initial schooling at many schools including Kendriya Vidalayas. He had gone toNational Institute of Engineering Srinagar. While his father wanted him to be a civil engineer but he chose Mechnical Engineering . Graduated in 1988, he realised that he has to do some thing for the Ladakhi youth in the field of education as 95% of them used to fail in 10th standard. With some like minded youth he started Students Educational & Cultural Movement (SECM)
, initially coaching the students to perform , but he soon realised that the lasting solution is needed to bring major reform in the education system. He integrated the local knowledge and wisdom as a part of his programme. At his SECMOL Alternative Institute (SAI) campus he designed to conserve heat and use solar energy.At SAI they burn no fuels to keep warm even in the frosty winters. He has also designed a low cost water heater, pioneered Low cost green houses, organic farming thus making his Institute practically an oasis on that high altitude desert. His team has also come up with innovative ideas like dirt cheap mud pipes and so many solar power devices.
His name surfaced last year for his innovation to grow Glaciar artificially which can solve the water problem of Ladakhi villages during the spring season as well as a part of summer also.
His team at his Institute was able to create Ice Stupa in the lower area of Ladakh, which is comparatively warmer than high mountain regions.
Similar challenge was taken by a Ladakhi Civil Engineer Chewang Norphel earlier who was working on storing waterin vast ice fields. But the problem with Norphel initiative was identifying special locations, where the glaciers can be shielded from sun by the bulk of higher mountains, and also that the require strenuous work to maintain. Wangchuk thought about shape with reduced surface area thereby reducing the process of melting. Then the most pragmatic shape emerged : a cone, a large base, tapering to a point. To build one, they needed to spray water down from height, to do this the team used power of gravity by bringing water from streams at high altitudes, then in freezing cold air, as the water sprinkled out of the pipe, it froze and formed a cone. They experimented with a prototype 6 metres high, holding 1,50,000 litres of water captive. The snow and ice around it had melted by the middle of March. The team expected their cone to last until theend of April but it survived until middle of May when temperatures were as high as 20 degree. The prototype cone resembled a stupa, the dome shaped structure revered to Budhists so aptly the team named it ICE STUPA. It was adorned with prayer flags, as the custom with more traditional stupas, the flags also helped in providing little shade as well the protection from wind.
Wangchuk's experiment can revolutionise the way people live in cold arid regions, the may get water stored in the most innovative way, it may even help in controlling climate change which is becoming a very big challenge for environmental experts world over.
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