Siachen saga: 879 die for 74 km of ice

India lost 10 more soldiers in an avalanche in one of most inhospitable battlefields in the world. Here’s a look at the 3-decade old dispute and the inhuman conditions our soldiers brave to keep control of the Siachen Glacier.

Weather conditions

* Temperatures: Can dip to -50°C in winter

* The average winter snowfall is more than 1,000 cm

* The glacier's melting waters are the main source of the Nubra River in Ladakh

* In 2009, a study found that the Siachen glacier had been steadily melting and was down to half its size

Expenditure on Siachen


* India is estimated to be spending $1 million ( Rs 6.8 crore) a day to keep Siachen supplied, which comes to Rs 18,000/sec

* This amount would have built 4,000 senior secondary schools in a year or 1,72,000 schools in 30 years

* A roti that costs Rs 2 to make, reportedly costs India Rs 200 to transport to Siachen






Taking a glacier: Operation Meghdoot

* The 1949 Karachi pact and the 1972 Simla agreement presumed that it wasn't feasible for human habitation to survive north of NJ9842, the northernmost demarcated point of LoC.

* In April 1984, Indian Army moved in to Siachen to pre-empt a bid by the Pak army to occupy the glacier.

* Move came after Indian intelligence learned that Pak army was buying specialist mountain clothing in London.

* IAF choppers airlifted a platoon from the Kumaon Regiment onto the Saltoro Ridge and beat the Pakistanis to the glacier by a week.

* India occupies the full glacier, its tributaries and all key passes and heights of the Saltoro Ridge.

* Pak troops suffer a severe tactical disadvantage along the 109km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL)



Operations by the specialized teams of the Army and the Air Force in progress to rescue the soldiers hit by an avalanche in Siachen on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

What soldiers face

* 879 Indian soldiers have died in Siachen since 1984, including 33 officers

* The vast majority of troop deaths have not been due to combat but avalanches, exposure and altitude sickness caused by the thin, oxygen depleted air

* The human body continuously deteriorates above 18,000 feet

* Toothpaste freezes in its tube

* Speech can be blurred

* Frostbite and chilblains are common

* Many soldiers suffer from high-altitude pulmonary and cerebral edema, headaches and hypertension

* Troops live in igloos clothed in high altitude gear

* Troops are supplied by helicopter (ALH Dhruv)

* The world's highest helipad is here at Sonam, at a height of 21,000 feet

* Officers get a Siachen allowance of 21,000 per month while soldiers get 14,000 a month

Paksitan also suffers

* In 2012, Pakistan lost 140 men in an avalanche in the Gayari Sector near Siachen

* Numerous attempts to demilitarize Siachen have failed