PANGONG LAKE - GEOGRAPHY
News: India,
China ramp up infra on north bank of Pangong Tso lake
What's in the news?
● Three
years after the violent clash between Indian and Chinese forces in Galwan
followed by tanks facing each other around the Pangong Tso — a lake spanning eastern Ladakh and western
Tibet — there is hectic activity in the area from both sides.
Key takeaways:
● While
China is rushing to complete a bridge across the Pangong Tso, connecting the
north and south banks, India is also building a black-topped road on its side
on the north bank.
● These
are among a number of infrastructure developments initiated on both sides since
the standoff, permanently altering the status quo on the ground in eastern
Ladakh, even as the two sides await the 19th round of Corps Commander level
talks to find a resolution to their dispute in the region.
Pangong Tso Lake:
● Pangong
Tso has been an area of constant friction between India and China for a long
time.
● It
is a Tibetan name for ‘high grassland
lake’
● It
is also called Pangong Lake.
● It
is a long narrow, deep, endorheic (landlocked) lake situated at a height of
about 4,350 m.
○ Endorheic lake:
An endorheic lake (also called a sink lake or terminal lake) is a collection of
water within an endorheic basin, or sink, with no evident outlet.
● India holds one third of the 135 km-long boomerang shaped lake.
Conflicting Fingers:
● The
lake, a glacial melt, has mountain spurs of the Chang Chenmo range jetting down
referred to as ‘fingers’ and the brackish
water lake freezes in winter.
● India has always held
till Finger 4 while it claims till Finger 8,
which is where the Indian perception of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) lies,
as reiterated by India on several occasions.
● The
North bank, which has a much more higher difference in perception of LAC than
the South bank, has been the initial site of the clash in May 2020, the
beginning of the long winding standoff.
● Indian
Army has a permanent position near Finger 3. The Chinese have a base east of
Finger 8.
● Both
sides also patrol the water on speed boats which also results in faceoffs.
● Prior
to the 2020 standoff, the face offs were usually resolved as per the protocols
agreed for maintaining peace and tranquillity on the border.