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Jammu & Kashmir Pangong Tso
The exact literal meaning of this lake is “Narrow flow of water”. This lake is believed to be enchanted and being located on a very high altitude, 4350mtrs from mean sea level, this lake has also the pure water from mountain sources. This lake is 134 kilometers long and flows across the country. Maximum portion of Pangong Tso is in China. During winter season, entire lake goes freeze as the minimum temperature of this area goes down to minus 230 C. Though, the basic flow area of this lake is in Tibet but Tibet is not an international accepted country, hence the flow are of the lake is said in China. Process to declare this lake as a wetland is under progress and on completions of the task, this lake will be the first ever Trans boundary lakes in South Asian region.
History
This lake falls in a region which is full of disputes. According to the ground realities, the LOC (Line of Control) crosses through this lake and hence the portions of the lake are divided into both the countries. The portion which is inside the China border is controlled by them but India claims on that portion. Likewise the area of this lake in the Indian side is controlled by is and China put claims on that portion. Differentiations of the two countries have made the lake in India and Aksai Chin (area occupied by China). During Indo China war of 1962, this lake witnessed the bloody face of human. The banks of this lake were also the battle field during the war. A fort named Khurnak fort in this area was captured by the China in 1952 and since then that is still under their control. Geographical coordinates of this fort is 33°46′00″N 79°00′00″E33.766667°N 79.000000°E. Pangong Tso lake is a point of border between two countries where Chinese encroachment is regular.
Flora, Fauna and Geography
This lake is having the water color little Blackish. Inside the lake, a very less quantity of vegetation is found. The water of the lake includes some sediment which does not permit to grow any vegetation. In some of the places, where these sediments are less or not found, the vegetation took place. Another view of this lake is frequent visits of domestic ducks. A visitor can see the number of ducks in and near the lake. Around the lake, the precious herbs are also seen. This lake is like a breathing point for a number of bird species. In this area, to avoid hot of the plains, a large number of Brahmini ducks and Cranes are seen during summer season. Kiang and Marmot are also found near the lake.
How to Reach
This lake can be accessed by two ways of transportation.
By Air: Leh is the nearest Airport, but operation is restricted to Military only. If a person wants to reach at this lake, he/she will have to de-board at Shrinagar.
By Rail: Udhampur is the nearest railway station. From railway station, there are road transportation facilities available to access this lake.
By Road : A small road drive, not more than 5 hours is needed for accessing this lake from Leh. The way is almost cross country. This road crosses through Changla Pass (a way to China) and at this place, Military security restricts the entry of civilians.The road crosses, Tangste and some other small villages in the route via Pagal Naala. This way is always opened for visitors. But best time to visit this area is May to September every year.
To visit this lake, Indian citizens are required to obtain a permit from the authorities sitting in Leh. The permission can be granted even to individual Indian nationals. But the permission for a foreign national is only in groups of minimum of three persons. Boating is not permitted in this lake due to security restrictions.
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