In response, locals have turned to a relatively recent regional innovation: ice stupas, towering structures that combine indigenous engineering and innovation. For Gilgit-Baltistan’s ice stupas, a pipe is installed at a higher elevation to tap into an upstream water source, usually in the mountains. The arrival of the ice stupas has come as a relief to 35-year-old farmer Zahra Bano, who owns a 1.5-acre farm in Hussainabad. Though families have seen relief from spring drought conditions with the ice stupas, this adaptative measure is not seen by experts as a long-term solution. Since the first ice stupa was built in 2019 in Paari, word spread, and now several villages have adopted them.