Angshi Rinpoche (75), lives in Choglamsar, Ladakh. "Nowadays we cannot predict the future, the climate is not stable. In my whole life I have not seen a cloudburst and this year it happened in Ladakh. If people start doing good things to earn good karma, not harming nature and not harming each other  as they did in previous generations, then floods cannot happen. If people stay as they are or worse then it can happen again".

Tsering Tashi (76) is living in his ruined house at Maney-tselding flood relief camp in Leh with 5 other family members.

Flood relief camp in Maney-tselding, Leh, which was one of the worst hit areas of Leh in the floods of August 2010.

Tsering Yangzom (40) (R) and Ajit Sing Thakur (51) at home in Choglamsar, Ladakh. Cracks in the wall from the floods are visible. Ajit: "That night at 12 there was very heavy rain and very big clouds. Then I noticed shining lights in the clouds from here to Kargil side. After 5 minutes the very heavy rain started. This is the first time that I've seen this kind of rain. 15 minutes later I heard the very loud sound and thought the cloud had burst, maybe in the mountain. I looked out and there was 50ft height of mud, stone, wood, houses, trucks and big trees on the main road opposite this house. People were shouting "help! help!" - women, children and men. It was a scene from hell. For 15 minutes the rain continued and then stopped. Many people were asking for help, we were also helpless. I tried to save one old woman, a young girl and 3 boys. There were so many casualties. The government figures are about 150 dead in all areas but I think that here in Choglamsar there were 400 to 500 alone. There is no record of the Nepali and Bihari migrant workers, only Ladakhis. At 9am the next morning the army arrived to rescue people. They had to deal first with the local, the rest were not priorities. There were hardly any houses left, no vehicles on the road and some inside buildings, everything was collapsed and there were big boulders everywhere, which came with the mud. I told my wife and children to stay inside the house and I went to see what had happened. Two of the people I tried to save died. Two of my shops were damaged, the restaurant on the ground floor was damaged and there are cracks in this building. I will build a new house, although it will take time. This year my whole business has collapsed and not just myself - every shopkeeper here. All business has gone down since the flood. The economic situation in Leh and Kargil is not good this year. Much agricultural land in the villages has been destroyed so there will be problems for the farmers in summer. Every year these floods will happen as weather conditions are changing due to global warming. I think that climate change is first hitting the himalayan region and then it will affect other places. It is a worldwide problem and it is getting worse everyday. There is no solution unless every country in the world decides to act. The glaciers are shrinking here and there is little snowfall. 20 to 25 years ago you saw many glaciers and lots of snow. Soon the rivers will dry up - no glacier means no water. This is now a small problem but we soon face a much bigger one of increased floods and no water. To save the environment is a big project. If we do not take individual action then we lose our earth. Man causes global warming and these type of floods are our joint karma as together we pollute the earth and destroy nature".

Save the Children provide relief packages to families affected by the floods in Igoo, Ladakh.

Tsering Mutup (54), land-owner with 5 family members in Igoo, Ladakh. "The flash-floods have destroyed all of my land and standing crops. I put barley and wheat seeds in but have had no return and my fodder for livestock was completely destroyed. The fields have been washed away and the government has given nothing. People with damaged houses got full aid and no money has been given to farmers whose livelihood has been affected. Leh Nutrition Project has given me a tractor so I am able to restore some land for the coming season. Times are changing - pollution, CO2 and vehicles are increasing. 3 or 4 years ago there was much snow in winter and no rain in summer. The climate is changing and I'm sure in the future there will be more cloudburst due to climate change".

Flood damage in Maney-tselding, one of the places in Leh which was badly hit by the floods in August this year.

Ruined house in Maney-tselding, Leh with full moon above.

Sonam Chondal (30), lives with 7 family members: her husband, 2 daughters, brother-in-law, father-in-law and a monk in the hamlet of Intse, Igoo, Ladakh. Seen here in her old house. "The flood came here at about 4pm and I went with everyone in this hamlet to the mountains where it was safer. We stayed all night and I didn't sleep. When I came down I saw that my house had been completely destroyed. I was senseless and I had to stay with my neighbour for 2 months whilst a new house was built. I moved into my new home 20 days ago. I lost everything but at least now I have a house. I'm scared it could happen again, cloudburst is hard to predict. The climate is changing, this is a dry area and should not flood. People are changing too, their intentions are changing and this flood was caused by bad karma".

Diskit Chanzon (50), owns a farm called Pakhar in Igoo, Ladakh. "At 12am I heard thunder and rain and everyone woke up to protect their belongings. There was really loud noises so we all went to the hilltop, where it was safer, and spent the night in the rain. In the morning I could see all the damage done to the fields but the house was safe. I grow barley and mustard seed in the fields and vegetables near the house. It should take 2-3 months to repair the fields and we sow in April / May time. I have never seen a cloudburst before and I am scared that it will happen again".

Land clearance in Igoo, Ladakh.

Tsering Mutup (59), land-owner in Shey, Ladakh. Seen here in his house with markings from the mud visible on the wall where it entered his house. "I saw the rain and then I heard huge sounds like army tanks and thought there may be a flood. I immediately told my family members to get up and dressed to run to the mountainside. In the morning we came back and there was lots  of mud. It took time to reach our house as the entire area was covered in mud. When we got to the house the first thought was to save the cows and other animals. There was so much mud! We stayed in the relief camp as we could not stay at home and we were based here for 1 month and 17 days. For 3 days we received nothing - no food or drinks. The nuns helped to clear the floodpath area and provided food and shelter to affected families. The standing crops were all gone. In the house the carpets were gone and there was 16 inches of mud in the rooms of the house. Now it is cleared but you can still see the level of mud on the walls. We got some money from the government and also from Leh Nutrition Project to get timbers, construction materials and fodder for the cows. We had to clear the mud from around the house immediately to prevent further damage such as cracks in the walls. This took 10 - 20 days. The head Lama says that the environment is in-balanced with more vehicles and more pollution. People have less faith in religion and show no respect. This is a punishment from god. I own this land but god owns the universe. According to the Buddhist calendar there is another flood due next year in August but I am not sure where. We have to stop this flood. We must restore our faith in god, religion, Dalai Lama, angels. Because people have what they need they have less faith in god to provide. I haven't seen a flood like this one in my whole life. In 1977 I was in the army, working at Siachen glacier and I saw evidence of global warming here. In the The Dolapik area on the silk route was full of glaciers then but I went back 2 years later and they were melting. 5 years ago I visited again and most of them were finished. Also, near the China border there used to be only crows and now there are many other species of birds. This indicates that the area is warmer because the crow is the only bird in the Himalayas that resists such cold weather. Shey is marshyland. In November it would be cold enough to freeze over and we would skate on the ice, now there is no ice as it's too warm. There is definitely a temperature variation. More trees should be planted and pollution needs to be less. These days people are just running after money, they have a different attitude towards each other. Everybody thinks this flood is caused by peoples behaviour".

Mr Chewang Norphel, a retired civil engineer who invented artificial glaciers to bring water to villages in Ladakh. He has about 10 in total all over the region. He is seen here at the site of his project in Nang. Water is collected in winter through a system of diversion and embankments and when the water melts in spring the glacier provides water to the local villages. During the flood this glacier was damaged as boulders in the distribution channels block the flow of water. Mr Norphel has been in the process of clearing debris so that it will work in the coming season. Most of his glaciers were damaged during the floods.

Amala hangs prayer flags on the dawn of the full moon. "The nature of Tibetan Buddhism is to pray for all living beings. We pray for peace for the flood victims".

Tsenary Norbu (68) owns land in Shey village, Ladakh. "We were both asleep and my wife awoke me to alert me. Lots of rain was coming inside and I put some buckets out to collect the water. The rain was getting very loud and my wife said that she thought it may flood and we should vacate the place. We went to the safe place and alerted the neighbours who were also on the road. In the morning we returned and the house was full of mud. The cowshed doors were closed and our cows were stuck in the mud. I tried to lift them but they were stuck so we had to leave them there for 4-5 days whilst the mud dried. We fed them in the meantime. Our belongings were also covered in mud. There was no damage to the house but everything was covered in mud and it was the same with our land. We are still in the process of removing the mud and debris. We have about 1 hectre of land and this is all damaged and full of mud. Everything was gone with the floods - tools, cylinders and the car on the road was also destroyed. This flood was caused by karma, Peoples minds are changing, they are becoming more selfish and this is a punishment by the gods. 20 years ago there was a flood here but the force was very low. Nature is un-balanced as there is a bigger population and more pollution and machinery. When I was younger there was not a single vehicle and we would travel to Leh by horse. I could also drink water from the stream but this is no longer safe to drink".

Ruins of houses at Tashi Gatsel in Choglamsar, Ladakh. This was one of the worst hit areas of the floods in August 2010.

Workers remove debris and rubbish from the ruins at Maney-tselding flood relief camp.

Tashi Chotk (40) owns the 'Hidden North' guest house in Phyang, Ladakh. The guest house has been running since 2004 and has around 200 guests annually. It was badly damaged in the floods of August 2010 and is currently being renovated. "I heard the rain and I got up to put on my pants and shoes. Outside it was not like rain, more like a water cannon as the rain was pushing with the wind, it was like a cyclone and hard to move. That night there was a marriage next door. It had been humid all day with big black clouds and it started drizzling at about 9pm. I was invited to the wedding but I thought no as we had about 8 guests at the time. I was asleep for about half an hour before the flood awoke me. There was a light on in a car from the marriage party and I could see people running to the house as the tent was about to collapse. I thought the river had changed course, wasn't thinking that the flood had come from the other side. The next moment I saw dust from outside, where we had our living room, which is where my uncle was. There was water coming from everywhere. We woke up the guests and only 3 could put on their shoes in time, most people were still in their underwear. There was 10 of us in total. I led them to the back of the house where there is a small mountain but there was too much water so we changed direction, slowly, slowly walking as we were 3/4 ft deep in water. I was hoping that the water would not change course. My wife and I carried the children of a Spanish couple. The kids were so scared and held my neck so tight that it was hard to breathe. Finally we made our way to the house up on the hill which belonged to relatives of the wedding party. It was empty except an old lady but she could not open the door so I entered through a window and let everyone in. We all stood together to generate heat and then I went to get some blankets and my wife made some tea for everyone. We waited for the next morning. The next day the scenery of the village was like a marshyland, so much water. The community hall was first hit and one Nepali worker there died. Then our living room where we later found the body of my 77 year old uncle. The impact was so sudden that he did not even have a chance to get up and we found him still in his bed. The whole building was gone, the flood took whatever was in the way. A lady and a small child from a neighbouring village who were at the wedding party also died. The tourists were shocked but they stayed for several days afterwards and everyone helped to clear the mud and debris. It was great that they volunteered as it helped us make progress. The whole of August we were worried it would happen again. The mud brick foundations were wet and smashed so our new guest house we are building with stone. Our roofs were not meant for rain. That I have learnt from a construction point of view. Within 5 years we have had 3 floods here, although never of this intensity. I'm not sure if it is a cycle or global warming. If it is a cycle then it could remain for more years. If it is global warming then it could be worse and I don't know how we tackle that, hopefully it is a cycle. The glaciers are receding here for sure, I have seen it in the mountains when I have been working as a guide. the last few years it has been alarming, now by Sept you can walk places that only previously you could climb. The last 15 yrs there has been less snow in winter and some years now snow at all. It used to be much colder. I think  the long term impact of the floods will be the change to the system and daily life. The price of food will increase, there is no hay for the animals so people may sell them. Some may even leave their land and look for another job, that would be bad. After the floods we could not run our guest house for the rest of the season but we hope to have 2 or 3 rooms open to tourists this coming summer. Previously we had 8 rooms. It is hard to say how the floods will affect tourism here, if people see the infrastructure has been restored and it is safe then they will come back. I hope they return for the mountains".

Tsering Murup Zopa (65) is seen here with his grandson, Tsering Sangrup (1) in their flood damaged home in Igoo, Ladakh. Markings can be seen in the wall from mud brought by the rains. "Around 8pm there was thunder, lightening and rain. I wasn't worried at first but at 11pm it got much worse. Everyone said there is a chance of flood so we all headed to the monastery on the hill. We could hear the sounds of boulders and there was lots of mud. In the morning we saw our fields were covered in mud and the cows were in it too. Mud was in every room of our house and it took 1 to 2 months to remove the debris. We lost so many belongings under the mud - new timbers for construction, tiles for our bathroom, fodder for our livestock, our stock of barley, kitchen utensils, jewellery. Half of our land was under the debris and we depend on agriculture. The government has provided us with some food for winter and fodder for the cows. They also paid rent in temporary housing for 2 months whilst the house was being repaired. The first 20 days we slept at the monastery. We are now building a new house in a safer place. I think the flood was caused by peoples behaviour, they are not respecting each other or religion and have negative thoughts. There is a shift in human thinking which led to this disaster".

Ladakhi New Year (Losar) celebrations in Leh. This year there were no public celebrations so people marked the occasion quietly at home in respect for those killed in the floods of August 2010.