Spotlight on Kunzes Dolma – Pioneering geothermal and gender equality in India
A feature article by the GRO GTP highlights the work by Kunzes Dolma in pioneering geothermal use in the Ladakh, India, and her advocacy for gender equality.
A feature article published by Iceland’s GRO International Centre for Capacity Development, Sustainability, and Societal Change highlights Kunzes Dolma, an alumna of the GRO Geothermal Training Programme (GRO GTP) and the first women to be trained in the geothermal profession in India. Since her return, Kunzes has been promoting the use of geothermal in the Ladakh region, but has advocated for gender equality and the participation of women in decision-making in Ladakh.
Kunzes attended the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme in Iceland in 2017, where she specialized in geothermal utilization. “At that time not much was done in India to utilize the low temp fields that we have and so I took the opportunity to learn,” Kunzes explains.
“I saw the impact that geothermal development had made to Iceland which otherwise used to be a poor country a few decades back. And so, I was motivated to do the same back in my country, the fact that most of the geothermal sites in India are in remote areas, made me think more of promoting this energy for not only infrastructure development, but also for the community. Geothermal is my passion now,” Kunzes further reflect.
Upon her return to Ladakh, she started a greenhouse project using geothermal heat to grow vegetables in winter time. She also started raising funds to provide geothermal space heating for the Puga residential school. Her early work led to the decision of the India Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to undertake the development of geothermal in Puga, where a 1-MW development is currently being eyed.
Championing gender equality in Ladakh
Her time in Iceland also inspired Kunzes to advocate for gender equality and the welfare of women, particularly those who are experiencing domestic violence. “Many women are forced to live in the house where they are assaulted, due to the absence of a women shelter where they would otherwise live safely and fight for justice,” she stated. With this experience, she has played a part in the plans to put up the first women’s shelter in Ladakh, as well as a cradle centre, where children can be left safely when their mothers are unable to care for them.
Kunzes is also acting as India’s Ambassador for Women in Geothermal (WING), a global organization aimed at promoting the professional development and advancement of women in the geothermal industry.
Her efforts to promote gender equality in decision-making at state level have bore fruit. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced that there will be a 33% reservation for women in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development of Leh and Kargil. “This will come into implementation soon and this is history for Ladakh,” says Kunzes.
Read the whole feature article via this link.
Source: GRO GTP
