(This Article was published in Down to Earth in 2017)
My visit to the Siachen glacier was surely an eye-opener. The glacier snout that looked like a black ice mountain was totally different from the pristine and white image of the glacier I previously had. At the Siachen Glacier, man has defiled nature as well as willfully defiled it. This 76 km long ice body is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and the second-longest outside the Polar Regions; it holds around 100 million acres of freshwater resources. The glacier is the main source of the Nubra River in Ladakh, which joins the Shyok River. The Shyok in turn joins the 3000-kilometre-long Indus River which flows through Pakistan. The glacier thus feeds the Indus, the largest irrigation system in the world. The region is home to rare species, including snow leopards, brown bears, and ibex.
Highest battlefield
In the Siachen, human habitation is neither possible nor does it exist. The last human habitation is at Warsi village (13000 feet), approximately 20 km from the base camp. Against such odds, our troops have been on this frozen wasteland since April 1984. The majority of occupied heights are above 18,500 feet. Indian troops control approximately two-thirds of the glacier. The Pakistan-occupied area, however, is much closer to the plains on their side and hence easier to maintain. It costs India and Pakistan around 300 million US dollars and 100 million US dollars, respectively, to maintain the army outposts in the glacier.
The heavy price
The heavy military presence and scores of choppers flying daily over the region have taken a heavy toll on the Siachen glacier, the most outstanding yet fragile Himalayan ecosystem, which has receded by 800 meters in the last 23 years. Dumping large quantities of non-biodegradable waste and the use of arms and ammunition have irreversibly altered the ecosystem of the region. The armies of the two countries drop around 1,000 metric tonnes of supplies and ammunition daily on the glacier, and since it never comes back, the garbage keeps accumulating there for years in sub-zero temperatures. One can very well imagine how much hazardous waste, rubbish, and garbage has been generated since 1984 when the heights were first occupied. Military activities have resulted in the deposition of tonnes of chemicals on the surface of the glacier, leading to pollution of the Indus headwaters and rising temperatures in the area, leading to avalanches and crevasses. If this accumulation keeps piling up and the melting of the glacier continues, this water reservoir may dry up in the next 50 years. The native wildlife, consisting of snow leopards, ibex, etc., has been adversely affected. Only a decade ago, the snow leopard could be easily spotted here. After the encroachment of their habitats, these wild animals have shifted and are never sighted near any of the posts in the glacier.
Waste dumping
Siachen is the world’s biggest and highest garbage dump, from where nothing comes back. Even retrieving human bodies is a big gamble there. On my visit to the glacier, I found the glacier strewn with the remains of crashed helicopters, worn-out ammunition, empty fuel barrels, telephone wires, splinters, gunny bags, rotten vegetables, shoes, discarded clothing, ration items, and supply canisters. There were also ugly patches of oil and chemicals staining the virgin snow. The deployment of military hardware has resulted in the melting of the surrounding ice. Disposal of human waste is a big problem in this bacteria-free and sub-zero environment that makes biodegradation impossible. The Indian army does its best to keep Siachen clean and green, but the presence of thousands of troops produces a massive amount of waste, disposing of which is a challenge.
The garbage dumping in the glacier area has resulted in a loss of ice mass at the terminus, a constant change in the shape of the glacier snout, and a large black carbon deposition on glaciated ice, leading to increased absorption of solar radiation. Satellite images show an increase in the size and number of bluewater lakes in the area resulting from the glacial melt. Such changes in the glacier environment result in avalanches; a major one in April 2012 resulted in the death of 138 Pakistani soldiers. The withdrawal of troops from the Siachen is ruled out in the near future, and with all the garbage lying around, the Siachen glacier is staring at the fate that Mount Everest is already having today.
Water pollution
With no means of retrieving garbage from the posts and in the absence of incinerators, it continues to lie there and pollute the glacier. More than 40% of the thousands of tonnes of garbage left at Siachen is plastic and metal, which continuously ooze out toxins through the process called leaching. These toxins are released into the glacier water system, polluting the Nubra and finally the Indus. Elements like Cobalt, Cadmium, Chromium, etc. have been confirmed in these toxins. The waters of the Indus feed millions of people downstream, both in India and Pakistan. The increasing pollution has poisoned almost all the streams and brooks in the glacier. Thus, the troops are advised to consume water only from the water sources earmarked by the Corps of Engineers after the testing of water samples. Clothing worn by the troops is washed at the hot water springs on the banks of Nubra at Panamik, near the base camp. The toxins released during the washing flow into the Nubra, which joins the Shyok and ultimately flows into the Indus.
The silver lining
Some initiatives taken in recent years are minimizing the degradation of the Siachen ecosystem. The Indian Army had started the “Clean and Green Siachen” drive, under which each soldier planted a sapling at the base camp to save the glacier. The Bombay Natural Historical Society awarded this initiative the Green Governance Award.
Since it is highly uneconomical to airlift all the garbage from the glacier, biodegradation is the only option. A laboratory of DRDO has initiated trials for a bio-digestion system that converts human and bio-degradable waste into usable fuel gas by creating a conducive environment for the bacteria spores in such sub-zero temperatures. The Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), another DRDO laboratory, is involved in the development of wind energy and geothermal energy systems suitable for the Himalayas. Such alternative sources of energy will significantly reduce the use of kerosene and diesel for heating and electricity in the Siachen area.
Conclusion
The military presence has surely altered the fragile Siachen ecosystem, resulting in the shifting of wildlife, a rise in general temperatures, glacier recession, and the toxification of the rivers. Still, the Siachen talks between India and Pakistan have failed to break the ice. It is high time sanity prevails over jingoistic nationalism and India and Pakistan find better uses for the money, men, and efforts that they are unnecessarily putting in the cold desert of Siachen. Demilitarisation of Siachen and the establishment of an eco-park where neither of the militaries has no presence can not only stop the glacier from further degradation and save countless human lives downstream but also set a precedent for resolving the larger Kashmir issue.