֍ The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas.
֍ At 76 km long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world’s non-polar areas.
֍ It falls from an altitude of 5,753 m above sea level at its head at Indira Col on the India–China border down to 3,620 m at its terminus.
֍ 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 average winter snowfall is more than 1000 cm and temperatures can dip to −50 °C.
֍ Including all tributary glaciers, the Siachen Glacier system covers about 700 km2
֍ The Nubra Valley acts as the gateway to the strategically important Siachen Glacier and Karakoram Pass.
֍ The Karakoram Pass in the northwest side connects the Nubra valley with Xinjiang, China. The area was once part of ancient Himalayan trade path, the Silk Route that connected China to Middle East.
Dispute
֍ Both India and Pakistan claim sovereignty over the entire Siachen region.
֍ In 1984, India launched Operation Meghdoot, a military operation that gave India control over all of the Siachen Glacier, including its tributaries.
֍ 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.
֍ 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.
֍ Pakistan maintains a territorial claim over the Siachen Glacier and controls the region west of Saltoro Ridge, lying west of the glacier.
Drainage
֍ 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 and feeds the largest irrigation system in the world.
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.
֍ Dumping of non-biodegradable waste in large quantities and the use of arms and ammunition have considerably affected the ecosystem of the region.
Must read: How does the cryosphere affect global climate?
External link: https://www.britannica.com/place/Siachen-Glacier
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
QUES . Siachen Glacier is situated to the: UPSC 2020
(a) East of Aksai Chin
(b) East of Leh
(c) North of Gilgit
(d) North of Nubra Valley
Ans (d)
