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In a sign of times to come, the India Army is exploring and drilling for water in the high-altitude mountain desert at Daulat Beg Oldie (also spelt as Oldi) (DBO) at an altitude of 17,000 feet in eastern Ladakh.
DBO is the remotest and perhaps the most strategic outpost of the country along the Line of Actual Control where Indian and Chinese soldiers are locked in confrontation since early May, 2020.
The army has roped in Dr Ritesh Arya, an eminent geologist who has worked with the army in the past at the Siachen Glacier and Batalik heights.
"I have just visited DBO. We spent around 28 days from Karu to Tangle and travelled all the way to DBO as part of exploration of sustainable ground water resource development,'' Dr Ritesh Arya told India Today TV.
In the past, Dr Arya has successfully explored and developed ground water resources for the army deployed in the high-altitude cold mountain desert of eastern Ladakh.
''We have been successful at Pangong Tso, Lukung, Thakung, Chushul, Rezang La and Tangtse apart from Galwan,'' he said.
The geologist and the army are hopeful that they will find water even at DBO. ''Hydro-geological conditions appear to be conducive for development of paleo channel for ground water resources at DBO. We may have to drill deep but we are confident of finding water for our soldiers,'' he said.
The geologist is also hopeful of reconstructing a paleo lake that existed at DBO 10,000 years ago.
''The reconstruction of a paleo lake will help boost the morale of troops on the one hand, and may encourage tourism in the times to come,'' he added.
The Indian Army has roped in geologists to try and find water sources in Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), a high-latitude desert located at an altitude of 17,000 feet in eastern Ladakh.
www.indiatoday.in
