Pangong Lake

IN NEWS:

• Indian and Chinese forces are engaged in a tense standoff along the Pangong Tso lake

ABOUT THE LAKE:

• Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake is a long, narrow, deep, endorheic lake in the Himalayas. An endorheic basin (also called internal drainage system) is a limited drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow.
• Because of the closed basin, most of the lake’s water is saline. However, the lake completely freezes over in winter.
• The barren mountains on the lake’s northern bank jut forward in major spurs, which the Army calls “fingers”.
• The lake is in the process of being identified under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance. This will be the first trans-boundary wetland in South Asia under the convention.

STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE:

• As things stand, a 45 km-long western portion of the lake is in Indian control, while the rest is under China’s control.
• By itself, the lake does not have major tactical significance. But it lies in the path of the Chushul approach, one of the main approaches that China can use for an offensive into Indian-held territory.
• Indian assessments show that a major Chinese offensive if it comes, will flow across both the north and south of the lake.

PRELIMS QUESTION:

Q. Arrange the following lakes from North to South:

1. Loktak
2. Vembanad
3. Pangong Tso
4. Pulikat 

Choose the correct answer from the codes given below:

1. 3-1-4-2
2. 2-1-3-4
3. 4-3-2-1
4. 1-2-3-4

Answer to Prelims question

Source: The Indian Express