Geo-thermal energy which enabled the cultivation of bananas in Iceland can also be harnessed to grow fruits and vegetables in a place like ladakh in India. Talking to the media on the sidelines of the Himalaya-Karakoram-Tibet workshop at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) institute scientist Santosh K Rai said that the geo-thermal springs in the Himalayan region could be put to varied use.
The temperature of the water found in geo-thermal springs in the Indian Himalayas ranges from 28 to 94 degrees centigrade. There are about 25 geo thermal springs in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand with many of them being located near shrines. As done in some nations, the geo thermal energy can be used for generating electricity, supporting green agriculture and geo-tourism, he added.