TEST SERIES 
Date : 04 Jan 2022
Pangong Tso Lake - Bridge Construction by China
Tags :Why in News?
- China is constructing a bridge in Eastern Ladakh connecting the North and South Banks of Pangong Tso which would significantly bring down the time for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to move troops and equipment between the two sectors.
About the Lake
- Pangong Tso is an endorheic lake (landlocked) that is partly in India’s Ladakh region and partly in Tibet.
- The name reflects the mixed heritage of the lake: Pangong in Ladakhi means extensive concavity, the word Tso is Tibetan for the lake.
Physiography of the Lake
- Situated at an elevation of about 4,270 m, it is a nearly 135-km long, narrow lake - 6 km at its widest point and shaped like a boomerang.
- Its total area is over 600 sq km.
- The Karakoram Mountain range, which crosses Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and India, with heights of over 6,000 meters including K2, the world’s second-highest peak, ends at the north bank of Pangong Tso.
- Its southern bank also has high broken mountains sloping towards Spangur Lake in the south.
- The lake’s water, while crystal clear, is brackish, making it undrinkable.
- The lake freezes during the winter, allowing some vehicular movement on it as well.
Control over the Lake
- Nearly two-thirds of the lake is controlled by China, with just about 45 km under Indian control.
- The LAC, running north-south, cuts the western part of the lake, aligned east-west.
- At the lake’s north bank, according to India, the international boundary is close to Khurnak Fort, a 19th-century ruin.
- But the LAC, according to China, is around 15 km west. On the north bank are spurs that jut into the lake, identified as fingers. India says the LAC passes through Finger 8; China claims it is farther west.
- India has traditionally had a stronger presence in the southern bank compared to the north bank, because of its proximity to areas like Chushul and Rezang La.
Current Status
- China changed the status quo and its troops had occupied the region between Finger 8 and Finger 4, which was patrolled by both but occupied by neither side earlier.
- Chinese troops continue to occupy the Finger 4 ridgeline, though they have stepped back from the base of Finger 4 to the base of Finger 5.
Sources: The Indian Express.
