Traditional irrigation practices of Ladakh (Alchi village), India

The village of Alchi is located on the banks of the Indus river in the Ladakh division of the Jammu and Kashmir districts, India.  It encompasses an unknown geographical area of land located in a cold desert/high altitude region characterized by glaciers, snowfields, short cultivation periods, and scarce water resources. The case study involves an undetermined snapshot in time and catalogues an action situation involving an unknown number of households which are dependent on an earthen channel irrigation system to divert water from melting snow and glaciers to their fields.  Water is the main resource and the irrigation canal is the public infrastructure that requires regular maintenance. 

The original case study authors focused on the impact of globalization on the traditional CPR governance of this irrigation system.  The case study has subsequently been used in comparative analyses regarding Ostrom's Design Principles (see bibliography).