India And China Prepare For A Winter Of Tensions Along Their Disputed Border

 

Straits Times: Indian and Chinese troops settle in for winter of discontent along disputed border 

NEW DELHI - As India and China continue with military and diplomatic talks on their disputed border, troops positioned in the Ladakh region now have to additionally grapple with deteriorating weather conditions as winter sets in. 

At Pangong Tso, a Himalayan lake, where Chinese and India troops are in a stand-off, temperatures drop to sub zero. 

Temperature during the winter, starting next month till February, will plummet to minus 40 degrees Celsius and the lake, which cuts through Chinese and Indian territories, will freeze over. 

The area is known as the "cold desert", said retired Army colonel S Dinny, who served as commanding officer at Pangong Tso between 2015 and 2017. 

"The temperature goes down to sub-zero. The oxygen level is at 60 per cent. Fatigue increases manifold. You get chilblains if a body part is exposed for even a short duration," said Col Dinny. 

"There is definitely a decrease in activities in winter whether infrastructure development like building roads or patrols. It is quite challenging. It will test the limit of logistic backup, sustenance and survivability of people and equipment. It won't be easy. But there is a job to be done, we will do it."  

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Update: India races to build border roads, bridges to match China (Al Jazeera)  

WNU Editor: Another sign that the build-up is going to continue .... India Wants To Arm Its Drones With Laser-Guided Missiles Against China (Forbes).