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Siachen Glacier

The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about 35°25′16″N 77°06′34″E / 35.421226°N 77.109540°E / 35.421226; 77.109540, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends.[3][4] At 76 km (47 mi) long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world's non-polar areas.[5] It falls from an altitude of 5,753 m (18,875 ft) above sea level at its head at Indira Col on the India–China border down to 3,620 m (11,875 ft) at its terminus. The entire Siachen Glacier, with all major passes, has been under the administration of India as part of the union territory of Ladakh, located in the Kashmir region since 1984.[6][7][8][9] Pakistan maintains a territorial claim over the Siachen Glacier[10] and controls the region west of Saltoro Ridge, lying west of the glacier,[11] with Pakistani posts located 1 km below more than 100 Indian posts on the ridge.[12][13]

Siachen Glacier
Satellite imagery of the Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier
Location of the Siachen Glacier within the greater Karakoram region
Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier (Ladakh)
Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier (India)
Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier (Gilgit Baltistan)
Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier (Pakistan)
Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier (Southern Xinjiang)
Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier (China)
TypeMountain glacier
LocationKarakoram, Ladakh (controlled by India, claimed by Pakistan)
Coordinates35°11′55.00″N 77°12′5.00″E / 35.1986111°N 77.2013889°E / 35.1986111; 77.2013889
Area2,500 km2 (970 sq mi)[1]
Length76 km (47 mi) using the longest route as is done when determining river lengths or 70 km (43 mi) if measuring from Indira Col[2]

The Siachen Glacier lies immediately south of the great drainage divide that separates the Eurasian Plate from the Indian subcontinent in the extensively glaciated portion of the Karakoram sometimes called the "Third Pole". The glacier lies between the Saltoro Ridge immediately to the west and the main Karakoram range to the east. The Saltoro Ridge originates in the north from the Sia Kangri peak on the China border in the Karakoram range. The crest of the Saltoro Ridge's altitudes range from 5,450 to 7,720 m (17,880 to 25,330 feet). The major passes on this ridge are, from north to south, Sia La at 5,589 m (18,336 ft), Bilafond La at 5,450 m (17,880 ft), and Gyong La at 5,689 m (18,665 ft). The average winter snowfall is more than 1000 cm (35 ft) and temperatures can dip to −50 °C (−58 °F). Including all tributary glaciers, the Siachen Glacier system covers about 700 km2 (270 sq mi).

Etymology

 
UN map of the Line of Control in Kashmir, which ends at the point NJ980420
 
Historical map including Siachen Glacier (AMS, 1953)[a]
 
Historical map including Siachen Glacier (AMS, 1966)[b]

"Sia" in the Balti language refers to the rose family plant widely dispersed in the region. "Chen" refers to any object found in abundance. Thus the name Siachen refers to a land with an abundance of roses. The naming of the glacier itself, or at least its currency, is attributed to Tom Longstaff.

Dispute

Both India and Pakistan claim sovereignty over the entire Siachen region.[3] In June 1958, first Geological Survey of India expedition went to the Siachen glacier.[14] It was the first official Indian survey of Siachen Glacier by Geological Survey of India post-1947 and that was undertaken to commemorate the International Geophysical Year in 1958. The study included snout surveying of five glaciers namely Siachen, Mamostong, Chong Kumdan, Kichik Kumdan and Aktash Glaciers in Ladakh region. 5Q 131 05 084 was the number assigned to the Siachen glacier by the expedition. U.S. and Pakistani maps in the 1970s and 1980s consistently showed a dotted line from NJ9842 (the northernmost demarcated point of the India-Pakistan cease-fire line, also known as the Line of Control) to the Karakoram Pass,[15][16][17] which India believed to be a cartographic error and in violation of the Simla Agreement. In 1984, India launched Operation Meghdoot, a military operation that gave India control over all of the Siachen Glacier, including its tributaries.[3][18] Between 1984 and 1999, frequent skirmishes took place between India and Pakistan.[19][20] Indian troops under Operation Meghdoot pre-empted Pakistan's Operation Ababeel by just one day to occupy most of the dominating heights on Saltoro Ridge to the west of Siachen Glacier.[21][22] However, more soldiers have died from the harsh weather conditions in the region than from combat.[23] Pakistan lost 353 soldiers in various operations recorded between 2003 and 2010 near Siachen, including 140 Pakistanis killed in the 2012 Gayari Sector avalanche.[24][25] Between January 2012 and July 2015, 33 Indian soldiers died due to adverse weather.[26] In December 2015, Indian Union Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that a total of 869 Army personnel have died on the Siachen glacier due to climatic conditions and environmental and other factors from the date that the Army launched Operation Meghdoot in 1984.[27] In February 2016, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar stated that India will not vacate Siachen, as there is a trust deficit with Pakistan and also said that 915 people have died in Siachen since Operation Meghdoot in 1984.[28] According to official records, only 220 Indian soldiers have been killed by enemy bullets since 1984 in Siachen area.[29] Both India and Pakistan continue to deploy thousands of troops in the vicinity of Siachen and attempts to demilitarize the region have been so far unsuccessful. Prior to 1984, neither country had any military forces in this area.[30][31][32]

Aside from the Indian and Pakistani military presence, the glacier region is unpopulated. The nearest civilian settlement is the village of Warshi, 10 miles downstream from the Indian base camp.[33][34] The region is also extremely remote, with limited road connectivity. On the Indian side, roads go only as far as the military base camp at Dzingrulma (35°09′59″N 77°12′58″E / 35.1663°N 77.2162°E / 35.1663; 77.2162), 72 km from the head of the glacier.[35][36] The Indian Army has developed various means to reach the Siachen region, including the Manali-Leh-Khardung La-Siachen route. In 2012, Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army General Bikram Singh said that the Indian Army should stay in the region for strategic advantages, and because a "lot of blood has been shed" by Indian armed personnel for Siachen.[37][38] The present ground positions, relatively stable for over a decade, mean that India maintains control over all of the 76 kilometres (47 mi) Siachen Glacier and all of its tributary glaciers, as well as all the main passes and heights of the Saltoro Ridge[39] immediately west of the glacier, including Sia La, Bilafond La, Gyong La, Yarma La (6,100m), and Chulung La [ceb] (5,800m).[40] Pakistan controls the glacial valleys immediately west of the Saltoro Ridge.[41][42] According to TIME magazine, India gained over 1,000 square miles (3,000 km2) in territory because of its 1980s military operations in Siachen.[43] India has categorically stated that India will not pull its army from Siachen until the 110-km long AGPL is first authenticated, delineated and then demarcated.[44][45]

 
Sia plant in Khaplu. Balti people grow this rose family in their houses as decoration, and its bark is used in payo cha (butter tea) instead of green tea leaves in some areas

The 1949 Karachi agreement only carefully delineated the line of separation to point NJ9842, after which, the agreement states, the line of separation would continue "thence north to the glaciers".[4][46][47][48][49] According to the Indian stance, the line of separation should continue roughly northwards along the Saltoro Range to the west of the Siachen glacier beyond NJ9842;[50] international boundary lines that follow mountain ranges often do so by following the watershed drainage divide[44] such as that of the Saltoro Range.[51] The 1972 Simla Agreement made no change to the 1949 Line of Control in this northernmost sector.

Drainage

 
Siachen glacier is a source to the Nubra River which later joins the Shyok River.

The glacier's melting waters are the main source of the Nubra River in the Indian region of Ladakh, which drains into the Shyok River. The Shyok in turn joins the 3000 kilometre-long Indus River which flows through Pakistan. Thus, the glacier is a major source of the Indus[52] and feeds the largest irrigation system in the world.[53]

Environmental issues

The glacier was uninhabited before 1984, and the presence of thousands of troops since then has introduced pollution and melting to the glacier. To support the troops, glacial ice has been cut and melted with chemicals.[citation needed]

Dumping of non-biodegradable waste in large quantities and the use of arms and ammunition have considerably affected the ecosystem of the region.[54]

Glacial retreat

Preliminary findings of a survey by Pakistan Meteorological Department in 2007 revealed that the Siachen glacier has been retreating for the past 30 years and is melting at an alarming rate.[55] The study of satellite images of the glacier showed that the glacier is retreating at a rate of about 110 metres a year and that the glacier size has decreased by almost 35 percent.[52][56] In an eleven-year period, the glacier had receded nearly 800 metres,[57] and in seventeen years about 1700 metres. It is predicted that the glaciers of the Siachen region will be reduced to about one-fifth of their 2011 size by 2035.[58] In the twenty-nine-year period 1929–1958, well before the military occupation, the glacial retreat was recorded to be about 914 metres.[59] One of the reasons theorized for the recent glacial retreat is chemical blasting, to construct camps and posts.[60] In 2001 India laid oil pipelines (about 250 kilometres long) inside the glacier to supply kerosene and aviation fuel to the outposts from base camps.[60][61] As of 2007, the temperature rise at Siachen was estimated at 0.2-degree Celsius annually, causing melting, avalanches, and crevasses in the glacier.[62]

Waste dumping

The waste produced by the troops stationed there is dumped in the crevasses of the glacier. Mountaineers who visited the area while on climbing expeditions witnessed large amount of garbage, empty ammunition shells, parachutes etc. dumped on the glacier, that neither decomposes nor can be burned because of the extreme climatic conditions.[63] About 1,000 kilograms (1.1 short tons) of waste is produced and dumped in glacial crevasses daily by Indian forces.[55] The Indian army is said to have planned a "Green Siachen, Clean Siachen" campaign to airlift the garbage from the glacier, and to use biodigestors for biodegradable waste in the absence of oxygen and freezing temperatures.[64] Almost forty percent (40%) of the waste left at the glacier is plastic and metal, including toxins such as cobalt, cadmium and chromium that eventually affect the water of the Shyok River (which ultimately enters the Indus River near Skardu). The Indus is used for drinking and irrigation.[65][66] Research is being done by scientists of The Energy and Resources Institute, to find ways to successfully dispose of the garbage generated at the glacier using scientific means.[67] Some scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation who went on an expedition to Antarctica are also working to produce a bacterium that can thrive in extreme weather conditions and can be helpful in decomposing the biodegradable waste naturally.[68]

Fauna and flora

The flora and fauna of the Siachen region are also affected by the huge military presence.[65] The region is home to rare species including snow leopard, brown bear and ibex that are at risk because of the military presence.[67][69]

Border conflict

The glacier's region is the highest battleground on Earth,[70] where Pakistan and India have fought intermittently since April 1984.[71] Both countries maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6,000 m (20,000 ft).

Both India and Pakistan have wished to disengage from the costly military outposts. However, after the Pakistani incursions during the Kargil War in 1999, India abandoned plans to withdraw from Siachen without official recognition of the current line of control by Pakistan, wary of further Pakistani incursions if they vacate the Siachen Glacier posts without such recognition.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the area, during which he called for a peaceful resolution of the problem. After that present Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited this place. President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari also visited an area near the Siachen Glacier called Gayari Sector during 2012 with Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.[72] Both of them showed their commitment to resolve the Siachen conflict as early as possible. In the previous year, the President of India, Abdul Kalam became the first head of state to visit the area.

Since September 2007, India has opened up limited mountaineering and trekking expeditions to the area. The first group included cadets from Chail Military School, National Defence Academy, National Cadet Corps, Indian Military Academy, Rashtriya Indian Military College and family members of armed forces officers. The expeditions are also meant to show to the international audience that Indian troops hold "almost all dominating heights" on the key Saltoro Ridge and to show that Pakistani troops are nowhere near the Siachen Glacier.[73] Ignoring protests from Pakistan, India maintains that it does not need anyone's approval to send trekkers to Siachen, in what it says is essentially its own territory.[74] In addition, the Indian Army's Army Mountaineering Institute (AMI) functions out of the region.

Peace Park proposal

 
Indian Army Jawans performing yoga, on the occasion of the 3rd International Day of Yoga – 2017, at Siachen on June 21, 2017

The idea of declaring the Siachen region a "Peace Park" was presented by environmentalists and peace activists in part to preserve the ecosystem of the region badly affected by the military presence.[75] In September 2003, the governments of India and Pakistan were urged by the participants of the 5th World Parks Congress held at Durban, to establish a peace park in the Siachen region to restore the natural biological system and protect species whose lives are at risk.[62] Italian ecologist Giuliano Tallone said the ecological life was at serious risk, and proposed setting up a Siachen Peace Park at the conference.[76] After a proposal of a transboundary Peace Park was floated, the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) organised a conference at Geneva and invited Indian and Pakistani mountaineers (Mandip Singh Soin, Harish Kapadia, Nazir Sabir and Sher Khan).[77] The region was nominated for inclusion in the United Nations' World Heritage List as a part of the Karakoram range, but this was deferred by the World Heritage Committee.[78] The areas to the east and west of the Siachen region have already been declared national parks: the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary in India and the Central Karakoram National Park in Pakistan.[79]

Sandia National Laboratories organised conferences where military experts and environmentalists from both India and Pakistan and also from other countries were invited to present joint papers. Kent L. Biringer, a researcher at Cooperative Monitoring Center of Sandia Labs suggested setting up Siachen Science Center, a high-altitude research centre where scientists and researchers from both the countries can carry out research activities[76] related to glaciology, geology, atmospheric sciences and other related fields.[80][81]

In popular culture

The Siachen glacier was mentioned in the 2018 Hollywood movie Mission Impossible : Fallout starring Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill. In the movie's climax, rogue agent Walker (Cavill) plants nuclear bombs at the base of Siachen glacier. However the scene was actually filmed in New Zealand because the Indian government denied the movie makers permission to film in Kashmir.[82]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ From map: "THE DELINEATION OF INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES ON THIS MAP MUST NOT BE CONSIDERED AUTHORITATIVE"
  2. ^ From map: "THE DELINEATION OF INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES MUST NOT BE CONSIDERED AUTHORITATIVE"

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Further reading

  • Myra MacDonald (2008) Heights of Madness: One Woman's Journey in Pursuit of a Secret War, Rupa, New Delhi ISBN 8129112922. The first full account of the Siachen war to be told from the Indian and Pakistani sides.
  • V. R. Raghavan, Siachen: Conflict Without End, Viking, New Delhi, 2002
  • Kunal Verma / Rajiv Williams, The Long Road to Siachen: the Question Why, Rupa & Co., New Delhi, 2010
  • Analysis: Peace may return to Siachen – The Washington Times
  • Siachen by Arshad H Abbasi

External links

  • Video about the Conflict in the Siachen area and its consequences
  • Outside magazine article about Siachen battleground
  • BBC News report: Nuclear rivals in Siachen talks; 26 May 2005
  • Confrontation at Siachen, Bharat Rakshak. 7 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine

siachen, glacier, siachen, redirects, here, military, conflict, over, this, area, siachen, conflict, glacier, located, eastern, karakoram, range, himalayas, about, 421226, 109540, 421226, 109540, just, northeast, point, nj9842, where, line, control, between, i. Siachen redirects here For the military conflict over this area see Siachen conflict The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about 35 25 16 N 77 06 34 E 35 421226 N 77 109540 E 35 421226 77 109540 just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends 3 4 At 76 km 47 mi long it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second longest in the world s non polar areas 5 It falls from an altitude of 5 753 m 18 875 ft above sea level at its head at Indira Col on the India China border down to 3 620 m 11 875 ft at its terminus The entire Siachen Glacier with all major passes has been under the administration of India as part of the union territory of Ladakh located in the Kashmir region since 1984 6 7 8 9 Pakistan maintains a territorial claim over the Siachen Glacier 10 and controls the region west of Saltoro Ridge lying west of the glacier 11 with Pakistani posts located 1 km below more than 100 Indian posts on the ridge 12 13 Siachen GlacierSatellite imagery of the Siachen GlacierSiachen GlacierLocation of the Siachen Glacier within the greater Karakoram regionShow map of KarakoramSiachen GlacierSiachen Glacier Ladakh Show map of LadakhSiachen GlacierSiachen Glacier India Show map of IndiaSiachen GlacierSiachen Glacier Gilgit Baltistan Show map of Gilgit BaltistanSiachen GlacierSiachen Glacier Pakistan Show map of PakistanSiachen GlacierSiachen Glacier Southern Xinjiang Show map of Southern XinjiangSiachen GlacierSiachen Glacier China Show map of ChinaTypeMountain glacierLocationKarakoram Ladakh controlled by India claimed by Pakistan Coordinates35 11 55 00 N 77 12 5 00 E 35 1986111 N 77 2013889 E 35 1986111 77 2013889Area2 500 km2 970 sq mi 1 Length76 km 47 mi using the longest route as is done when determining river lengths or 70 km 43 mi if measuring from Indira Col 2 The Siachen Glacier lies immediately south of the great drainage divide that separates the Eurasian Plate from the Indian subcontinent in the extensively glaciated portion of the Karakoram sometimes called the Third Pole The glacier lies between the Saltoro Ridge immediately to the west and the main Karakoram range to the east The Saltoro Ridge originates in the north from the Sia Kangri peak on the China border in the Karakoram range The crest of the Saltoro Ridge s altitudes range from 5 450 to 7 720 m 17 880 to 25 330 feet The major passes on this ridge are from north to south Sia La at 5 589 m 18 336 ft Bilafond La at 5 450 m 17 880 ft and Gyong La at 5 689 m 18 665 ft The average winter snowfall is more than 1000 cm 35 ft and temperatures can dip to 50 C 58 F Including all tributary glaciers the Siachen Glacier system covers about 700 km2 270 sq mi Contents 1 Etymology 2 Dispute 3 Drainage 4 Environmental issues 4 1 Glacial retreat 4 2 Waste dumping 4 3 Fauna and flora 5 Border conflict 6 Peace Park proposal 7 In popular culture 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External linksEtymology nbsp UN map of the Line of Control in Kashmir which ends at the point NJ980420 nbsp Historical map including Siachen Glacier AMS 1953 a nbsp Historical map including Siachen Glacier AMS 1966 b Sia in the Balti language refers to the rose family plant widely dispersed in the region Chen refers to any object found in abundance Thus the name Siachen refers to a land with an abundance of roses The naming of the glacier itself or at least its currency is attributed to Tom Longstaff DisputeBoth India and Pakistan claim sovereignty over the entire Siachen region 3 In June 1958 first Geological Survey of India expedition went to the Siachen glacier 14 It was the first official Indian survey of Siachen Glacier by Geological Survey of India post 1947 and that was undertaken to commemorate the International Geophysical Year in 1958 The study included snout surveying of five glaciers namely Siachen Mamostong Chong Kumdan Kichik Kumdan and Aktash Glaciers in Ladakh region 5Q 131 05 084 was the number assigned to the Siachen glacier by the expedition U S and Pakistani maps in the 1970s and 1980s consistently showed a dotted line from NJ9842 the northernmost demarcated point of the India Pakistan cease fire line also known as the Line of Control to the Karakoram Pass 15 16 17 which India believed to be a cartographic error and in violation of the Simla Agreement In 1984 India launched Operation Meghdoot a military operation that gave India control over all of the Siachen Glacier including its tributaries 3 18 Between 1984 and 1999 frequent skirmishes took place between India and Pakistan 19 20 Indian troops under Operation Meghdoot pre empted Pakistan s Operation Ababeel by just one day to occupy most of the dominating heights on Saltoro Ridge to the west of Siachen Glacier 21 22 However more soldiers have died from the harsh weather conditions in the region than from combat 23 Pakistan lost 353 soldiers in various operations recorded between 2003 and 2010 near Siachen including 140 Pakistanis killed in the 2012 Gayari Sector avalanche 24 25 Between January 2012 and July 2015 33 Indian soldiers died due to adverse weather 26 In December 2015 Indian Union Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that a total of 869 Army personnel have died on the Siachen glacier due to climatic conditions and environmental and other factors from the date that the Army launched Operation Meghdoot in 1984 27 In February 2016 Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar stated that India will not vacate Siachen as there is a trust deficit with Pakistan and also said that 915 people have died in Siachen since Operation Meghdoot in 1984 28 According to official records only 220 Indian soldiers have been killed by enemy bullets since 1984 in Siachen area 29 Both India and Pakistan continue to deploy thousands of troops in the vicinity of Siachen and attempts to demilitarize the region have been so far unsuccessful Prior to 1984 neither country had any military forces in this area 30 31 32 Aside from the Indian and Pakistani military presence the glacier region is unpopulated The nearest civilian settlement is the village of Warshi 10 miles downstream from the Indian base camp 33 34 The region is also extremely remote with limited road connectivity On the Indian side roads go only as far as the military base camp at Dzingrulma 35 09 59 N 77 12 58 E 35 1663 N 77 2162 E 35 1663 77 2162 72 km from the head of the glacier 35 36 The Indian Army has developed various means to reach the Siachen region including the Manali Leh Khardung La Siachen route In 2012 Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army General Bikram Singh said that the Indian Army should stay in the region for strategic advantages and because a lot of blood has been shed by Indian armed personnel for Siachen 37 38 The present ground positions relatively stable for over a decade mean that India maintains control over all of the 76 kilometres 47 mi Siachen Glacier and all of its tributary glaciers as well as all the main passes and heights of the Saltoro Ridge 39 immediately west of the glacier including Sia La Bilafond La Gyong La Yarma La 6 100m and Chulung La ceb 5 800m 40 Pakistan controls the glacial valleys immediately west of the Saltoro Ridge 41 42 According to TIME magazine India gained over 1 000 square miles 3 000 km2 in territory because of its 1980s military operations in Siachen 43 India has categorically stated that India will not pull its army from Siachen until the 110 km long AGPL is first authenticated delineated and then demarcated 44 45 nbsp Sia plant in Khaplu Balti people grow this rose family in their houses as decoration and its bark is used in payo cha butter tea instead of green tea leaves in some areasThe 1949 Karachi agreement only carefully delineated the line of separation to point NJ9842 after which the agreement states the line of separation would continue thence north to the glaciers 4 46 47 48 49 According to the Indian stance the line of separation should continue roughly northwards along the Saltoro Range to the west of the Siachen glacier beyond NJ9842 50 international boundary lines that follow mountain ranges often do so by following the watershed drainage divide 44 such as that of the Saltoro Range 51 The 1972 Simla Agreement made no change to the 1949 Line of Control in this northernmost sector Drainage nbsp Siachen glacier is a source to the Nubra River which later joins the Shyok River The glacier s melting waters are the main source of the Nubra River in the Indian region of Ladakh which drains into the Shyok River The Shyok in turn joins the 3000 kilometre long Indus River which flows through Pakistan Thus the glacier is a major source of the Indus 52 and feeds the largest irrigation system in the world 53 Environmental issuesThe glacier was uninhabited before 1984 and the presence of thousands of troops since then has introduced pollution and melting to the glacier To support the troops glacial ice has been cut and melted with chemicals citation needed Dumping of non biodegradable waste in large quantities and the use of arms and ammunition have considerably affected the ecosystem of the region 54 Glacial retreat Preliminary findings of a survey by Pakistan Meteorological Department in 2007 revealed that the Siachen glacier has been retreating for the past 30 years and is melting at an alarming rate 55 The study of satellite images of the glacier showed that the glacier is retreating at a rate of about 110 metres a year and that the glacier size has decreased by almost 35 percent 52 56 In an eleven year period the glacier had receded nearly 800 metres 57 and in seventeen years about 1700 metres It is predicted that the glaciers of the Siachen region will be reduced to about one fifth of their 2011 size by 2035 58 In the twenty nine year period 1929 1958 well before the military occupation the glacial retreat was recorded to be about 914 metres 59 One of the reasons theorized for the recent glacial retreat is chemical blasting to construct camps and posts 60 In 2001 India laid oil pipelines about 250 kilometres long inside the glacier to supply kerosene and aviation fuel to the outposts from base camps 60 61 As of 2007 the temperature rise at Siachen was estimated at 0 2 degree Celsius annually causing melting avalanches and crevasses in the glacier 62 Waste dumping The waste produced by the troops stationed there is dumped in the crevasses of the glacier Mountaineers who visited the area while on climbing expeditions witnessed large amount of garbage empty ammunition shells parachutes etc dumped on the glacier that neither decomposes nor can be burned because of the extreme climatic conditions 63 About 1 000 kilograms 1 1 short tons of waste is produced and dumped in glacial crevasses daily by Indian forces 55 The Indian army is said to have planned a Green Siachen Clean Siachen campaign to airlift the garbage from the glacier and to use biodigestors for biodegradable waste in the absence of oxygen and freezing temperatures 64 Almost forty percent 40 of the waste left at the glacier is plastic and metal including toxins such as cobalt cadmium and chromium that eventually affect the water of the Shyok River which ultimately enters the Indus River near Skardu The Indus is used for drinking and irrigation 65 66 Research is being done by scientists of The Energy and Resources Institute to find ways to successfully dispose of the garbage generated at the glacier using scientific means 67 Some scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation who went on an expedition to Antarctica are also working to produce a bacterium that can thrive in extreme weather conditions and can be helpful in decomposing the biodegradable waste naturally 68 Fauna and flora The flora and fauna of the Siachen region are also affected by the huge military presence 65 The region is home to rare species including snow leopard brown bear and ibex that are at risk because of the military presence 67 69 Border conflictMain article Siachen conflict The glacier s region is the highest battleground on Earth 70 where Pakistan and India have fought intermittently since April 1984 71 Both countries maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6 000 m 20 000 ft Both India and Pakistan have wished to disengage from the costly military outposts However after the Pakistani incursions during the Kargil War in 1999 India abandoned plans to withdraw from Siachen without official recognition of the current line of control by Pakistan wary of further Pakistani incursions if they vacate the Siachen Glacier posts without such recognition Prime Minister Manmohan Singh became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the area during which he called for a peaceful resolution of the problem After that present Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited this place President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari also visited an area near the Siachen Glacier called Gayari Sector during 2012 with Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani 72 Both of them showed their commitment to resolve the Siachen conflict as early as possible In the previous year the President of India Abdul Kalam became the first head of state to visit the area Since September 2007 India has opened up limited mountaineering and trekking expeditions to the area The first group included cadets from Chail Military School National Defence Academy National Cadet Corps Indian Military Academy Rashtriya Indian Military College and family members of armed forces officers The expeditions are also meant to show to the international audience that Indian troops hold almost all dominating heights on the key Saltoro Ridge and to show that Pakistani troops are nowhere near the Siachen Glacier 73 Ignoring protests from Pakistan India maintains that it does not need anyone s approval to send trekkers to Siachen in what it says is essentially its own territory 74 In addition the Indian Army s Army Mountaineering Institute AMI functions out of the region Peace Park proposal nbsp Indian Army Jawans performing yoga on the occasion of the 3rd International Day of Yoga 2017 at Siachen on June 21 2017The idea of declaring the Siachen region a Peace Park was presented by environmentalists and peace activists in part to preserve the ecosystem of the region badly affected by the military presence 75 In September 2003 the governments of India and Pakistan were urged by the participants of the 5th World Parks Congress held at Durban to establish a peace park in the Siachen region to restore the natural biological system and protect species whose lives are at risk 62 Italian ecologist Giuliano Tallone said the ecological life was at serious risk and proposed setting up a Siachen Peace Park at the conference 76 After a proposal of a transboundary Peace Park was floated the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation UIAA and the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN organised a conference at Geneva and invited Indian and Pakistani mountaineers Mandip Singh Soin Harish Kapadia Nazir Sabir and Sher Khan 77 The region was nominated for inclusion in the United Nations World Heritage List as a part of the Karakoram range but this was deferred by the World Heritage Committee 78 The areas to the east and west of the Siachen region have already been declared national parks the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary in India and the Central Karakoram National Park in Pakistan 79 Sandia National Laboratories organised conferences where military experts and environmentalists from both India and Pakistan and also from other countries were invited to present joint papers Kent L Biringer a researcher at Cooperative Monitoring Center of Sandia Labs suggested setting up Siachen Science Center a high altitude research centre where scientists and researchers from both the countries can carry out research activities 76 related to glaciology geology atmospheric sciences and other related fields 80 81 In popular cultureThe Siachen glacier was mentioned in the 2018 Hollywood movie Mission Impossible Fallout starring Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill In the movie s climax rogue agent Walker Cavill plants nuclear bombs at the base of Siachen glacier However the scene was actually filmed in New Zealand because the Indian government denied the movie makers permission to film in Kashmir 82 See alsoBatura Glacier Colonel Narendra Kumar NJ9842 Indira Col Robert D Hodgson Baltoro Glacier Saltoro Kangri Sia La Bilafond La Gyong La Actual Ground Position Line 2016 Siachen Glacier avalanche Siachen MuztaghNotes From map THE DELINEATION OF INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES ON THIS MAP MUST NOT BE CONSIDERED AUTHORITATIVE From map THE DELINEATION OF INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES MUST NOT BE CONSIDERED AUTHORITATIVE References Desmond Kashmir Edward W 31 July 1989 The Himalayas War at the Top of the World Time Archived from the original on 14 January 2009 Retrieved 11 October 2008 Dinesh Kumar 13 April 2014 30 Years of the World s Coldest War The Tribune Chandigarh India Retrieved 18 April 2014 a b c Lyon Peter 2008 Conflict Between India and Pakistan An Encyclopedia ABC CLIO 2009 ISBN 9781576077122 a b The Tribune Chandigarh India Opinions The Tribune Siachen Glacier is 76 km 47 mi long Tajikistan s Fedchenko Glacier is 77 km 48 mi long The second longest in the Karakoram Mountains is the Biafo Glacier at 63 km 39 mi Measurements are from recent imagery supplemented with Russian 1 200 000 scale topographic mapping as well as the 1990 Orographic Sketch Map Karakoram Sheet 2 Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research Zurich Gauhar Feryal Ali Yusuf Ahmed 2 November 2014 Siachen The place of wild roses Retrieved 4 August 2017 North Andrew 12 April 2014 Siachen dispute India and Pakistan s glacial fight BBC Retrieved 4 August 2017 India gained control over Siachen in 1984 The Times of India Retrieved 4 August 2017 Blog The Siachen Story Then And Now NDTV com Siddiqui Naveed 4 August 2020 In landmark move PM Imran unveils new political map of Pakistan Dawn Retrieved 5 August 2020 Gokhale Nitin A 2015 Beyond NJ 9842 The SIACHEN Saga Bloomsbury Publishing p 364 ISBN 9789384052263 Service Tribune News Life amp death in world s highest combat zone Tribuneindia News Service Siachen deaths harden resolve to hold glacier Army chief Hindustan Times 18 February 2016 The first GSI survey of the Siachen The Hindu Kumar s line vs Hodgson s line The Lakshman rekha that started an India Pakistan fight How India got Hodgson s Line erased and won the race to Siachen The cartographic nightmare of the Kashmir region explained National Geographic Society Archived from the original on 18 February 2021 Wirsing Robert 1998 War Or Peace on the Line of Control The India Pakistan Dispute Over Kashmir Turns Fifty IBRU 1998 ISBN 9781897643310 Dettman Paul 2001 India Changes Course Golden Jubilee to Millennium Greenwood Publishing Group 2001 ISBN 9780275973087 The Tribune Chandigarh India Opinions The Tribune Siachen height provides military depth India can t afford to lose India News The Times of India Story of Saltoro From Ababeel to Meghdoot mid day 26 April 2012 Rodriguez Alex 8 April 2012 Avalanche buries Pakistan base 117 soldiers feared dead Los Angeles Times Retrieved 14 April 2012 Pubby Manu Bleeding in Siachen Pakistan losing 30 soldiers a year on highest battlefield via The Economic Times Rescue operations at Gayari Sector after Pakistan avalanche Photo Gallery NDTV com 33 Indian soldiers killed in Siachen since 2012 govt Business Standard Press Trust of India 31 July 2015 Dinakar Peri In Siachen 869 Army men died battling the elements The Hindu Won t vacate Siachen we can t trust Pakistan says Manohar Parrikar India News The Times of India Here s how ISRO s space technology can save lives of soldiers at Siachen 3 April 2016 Kashmir s Siachen glacier a frigid outpost in India Pakistan conflict CBC Canada 7 April 2012 Retrieved 14 April 2012 Eur 2002 Far East and Australasia 2003 Routledge 2002 ISBN 9781857431339 News18 Archived from the original on 17 January 2014 World s highest biggest junkyard The Tribune 29 August 1998 Retrieved 8 April 2012 The fight for Siachen The Express Tribune 22 April 2012 Demilitarization of the Siachen Conflict Zone Concepts for Implementation and Monitoring PDF Archived from the original PDF on 17 April 2012 Noorani A G 26 March 2016 Settle Siachen Dawn Pakistan India must continue to hold on to Siachen Bikram Singh Army Chief General timesofindia economictimes Mohamed Nazeer Army should stay put in Siachen says General Bikram Singh The Hindu Shukla Ajai 28 August 2012 846 Indian soldiers have died in Siachen since 1984 Business Standard The Tribune Chandigarh India Opinions The Tribune Wirsing Robert 13 December 1991 Pakistan s security under Zia 1977 1988 the policy imperatives of a peripheral Asian state Palgrave Macmillan 1991 ISBN 9780312060671 Child Greg 1998 Thin air encounters in the Himalayas The Mountaineers Books 1998 ISBN 9780898865882 The Himalayas War at the Top of the World Time 31 July 1989 Archived from the original on 12 March 2007 a b W P S Sidhu 13 June 2013 Siachen While the battle continues to rage no settlement is in sight India Today Praveen Dass Bullish on Siachen The Crest Edition Archived from the original on 22 February 2014 Raj Chengappa 31 October 1987 Siachen glacier Indian troops repulse major Pakistani offensive India Today P ANIMA Riding on The Hindu Army opposes Pakistan s demand for troop withdrawal from Siachen Glacier Indian Express The Indian Express UN Map showing CFL as per Karachi Agreement UN document number S 1430 Add 2 PDF Dag Digital Library Retrieved 30 May 2015 Why India cannot afford to give up Siachen Rediff 13 April 2012 Siachen Glacier Dispute GKToday a b H C Sadangi 31 March 2007 India s Relations with Her Neighbours Isha Books p 219 ISBN 978 8182054387 Retrieved 26 April 2012 Rashid Faruqee November 1999 Strategic Reforms for Agricultural Growth in Pakistan World Bank Publications p 87 ISBN 978 0821343364 Retrieved 26 April 2012 ActionAid 2010 Natural Resource Management in South Asia Pearson Education p 58 ISBN 978 8131729434 Retrieved 27 April 2012 a b K R Gupta 2008 Global Warming Encyclopaedia of Environment Atlantic Publishers amp Distributors pp 105 112 ISBN 978 8126908813 Retrieved 25 April 2012 Y S Rao 3 November 2011 Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry for Glacier Movement Studies In Vijay P Singh ed Encyclopedia of Snow Ice and Glaciers Springer pp 1138 1142 ISBN 978 9048126415 Retrieved 30 April 2012 Harish Kapadia March 1998 Meeting the Mountains 1st ed Indus Publishing Company p 275 ISBN 978 8173870859 Retrieved 30 April 2012 Daniel Moran 22 March 2011 Climate Change and National Security A Country Level Analysis Georgetown University Press p 86 ISBN 978 1589017412 Retrieved 8 May 2012 K S Gulia 2 September 2007 Discovering Himalaya Tourism of Himalaya Region Isha Books p 92 ISBN 978 8182054103 Retrieved 10 May 2012 a b Snow white coffins of Siachen The News Today 22 April 2012 Retrieved 30 April 2012 Asad Hakeem Gurmeet Kanwal Michael Vannoni Gaurav Rajen September 2007 Demilitarization of the Siachen Conflict Zone Concepts for Implementation and Monitoring PDF Albuquerque New Mexico Sandia National Laboratories p 28 SAND2007 5670 Archived from the original PDF on 17 April 2012 Retrieved 30 April 2012 a b Isa Daudpota Arshad H Abbasi 16 February 2007 Exchange Siachen confrontation for peace The Hindu Chennai India Archived from the original on 20 February 2007 Retrieved 6 May 2012 Harish Kapadia 30 November 1999 Across Peaks amp Passes in Ladakh Zanskar amp East Karakoram Indus Publishing Company pp 189 190 ISBN 978 8173871009 Retrieved 30 April 2012 Military activity leads to melting of Siachen glaciers Dawn 24 March 2007 Retrieved 25 April 2012 a b Neal A Kemkar 2006 Environmental peacemaking Ending conflict between India and Pakistan on the Siachen Glacier through the creation of a transboundary peace park PDF Stanford Environmental Law Journal Stanford California Stanford University School of Law 25 1 67 121 ANA 074909 Retrieved 25 April 2012 Kevin Fedarko 1 February 2003 Jackson Nicholas ed The Coldest War Outside Mariah Media Network ASIN B001OTEIG8 ISSN 0278 1433 Retrieved 30 April 2012 a b Supriya Bezbaruah 1 November 2004 Siachen Snow Under Fire India Today Retrieved 6 May 2012 Mahendra Gaur 8 August 2006 Indian Affairs Annual 2006 Kalpaz Publications p 84 ISBN 978 8178355290 Retrieved 11 May 2012 Emmanuel Duparcq 11 April 2012 Siachen tragedy day 5 Bad weather dogs avalanche search efforts The Express Tribune Agence France Presse Retrieved 20 May 2012 Kamal Thakur 1 November 2014 16 Things You Should Know About India s Soldiers Defending Siachen Topyaps Retrieved 16 May 2014 How a tiny line on a map led to conflict in the Himalaya National Geographic Society Archived from the original on 18 February 2021 Pakistan wants resolution of Siachen issue Kayani The Express Tribune 18 April 2012 India opens Siachen to trekkers The Times of India 13 September 2007 India hits back at Pak over Siachen issue The Times of India 17 September 2007 Teresita C Schaffer 20 December 2005 Kashmir The Economics of Peace Building Center for Strategic amp International Studies p 57 ISBN 978 0892064809 Retrieved 30 April 2012 a b Sujan Dutta 14 June 2005 Out of the box ideas for glacier Siachen could become bio reserve or peace park The Telegraph Calcutta India Archived from the original on 8 January 2014 Retrieved 20 May 2012 Harish Kapadia 1 December 2005 Chapter 34 Siachen A Peace Proposal In Yogendra Bali R S Somi ed Incredible Himalayas Indus Books pp 213 217 ISBN 978 8173871795 Retrieved 30 April 2012 Jim Thorsell Larry Hamilton September 2002 Sites deferred by the Committee which may merit re nomination PDF A Global Overview of Mountain Protected Areas on the World Heritage List International Union for Conservation of Nature p 15 Retrieved 30 April 2012 G Tamburelli 1 January 2007 Biodiversity conservation and protected areas Giuffre p 6 ISBN 978 8814133657 Retrieved 30 April 2012 K L Biringer 1 March 1998 Siachen Science Center A concept for cooperation at the top of the world Cooperative Monitoring Center Occasional Paper No SAND 98 0505 2 589204 Sandia National Laboratories Retrieved 19 May 2014 Wajahat Ali 20 August 2004 US expert at Sandia wants Siachen converted into Science Centre Daily Times Retrieved 20 May 2012 Tom Cruise s mission impossible Hindustan Times Further readingMyra MacDonald 2008 Heights of Madness One Woman s Journey in Pursuit of a Secret War Rupa New Delhi ISBN 8129112922 The first full account of the Siachen war to be told from the Indian and Pakistani sides V R Raghavan Siachen Conflict Without End Viking New Delhi 2002 TIME Asia s cover story on Siachen Glacier July 11 2005 Kunal Verma Rajiv Williams The Long Road to Siachen the Question Why Rupa amp Co New Delhi 2010 Analysis Peace may return to Siachen The Washington Times Siachen by Arshad H AbbasiExternal linksVideo about the Conflict in the Siachen area and its consequences Siachen Peace Park Initiative Outside magazine article about Siachen battleground BBC News report Nuclear rivals in Siachen talks 26 May 2005 Confrontation at Siachen Bharat Rakshak Archived 7 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine National Geographic article Siachen Glacier Tragedy Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Siachen Glacier amp oldid 1186575512, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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