Pangong Tso

Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake is an endorheic lake spanning eastern Ladakh and West Tibet situated at an elevation of 4225 m. It is 134 km long and divided into five sublakes, called Pangong Tso, Tso Nyak, Rum Tso (twin lakes) and Nyak Tso. Approximately 50% of the length of the overall lake lies within Tibet administered by China, 40% in Indian-administered Ladakh, and the remaining 10% is disputed and is a de facto buffer zone between India and China. The lake is 5 km wide at its broadest point. All together it covers almost 700 km2. During winter the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water. It has a land-locked basin separated from the Indus River basin by a small elevated ridge, but is believed to have been part of the latter in prehistoric times.

Names
Historically, the lake is viewed as being made up five sublakes, which are connected through narrow water channels. The name Pangong Tso only applied to the westernmost lake that is mostly in Ladakh. The main lake on the Tibetan side is called Tso Nyak (the "middle lake"). It is followed by two small lakes called Rum Tso. The last lake near Rutog is called Nyak Tso again. The whole lake group was and is still often referred to as Tsomo Nganglha Ringpo in Tibetan.

There are different interpretations of the meanings of both Pangong Tso and Tsomo Nganglha Ringpo. The Ladakh government website says "Pangong Tso" is Tibetan, meaning "high grassland lake", however travel books say Pangong means "hollow". Tsomo Nganglha Ringpo is Tibetan that is interpreted to mean various different but similar meanings -- "long, narrow, enchanted lake" by Chinese media sources, "female narrow very long lake" by early European explorers, and "long-necked swan lake" by other modern sources.

Geography
Pangong Tso is surrounded by three mountain ranges: Changchenmo Range and Pangong Range sub-ranges of Karakoram Range, and Kailash Range (Gangdise Shan range). Changchenmo Range runs along the eastern and northern bank of the Pangong Tso, and contains spurs Finger-1 to Finger-8. Pangong Range, along the southern bank of the Pangong Tso, runs from Tangtse in west to Chushul near the centre of southern bank of the Pangong Tso. According to the Britannica, the Changchenmo Range and Pangong Range are sometimes considered easternmost part of the Karakoram Range. Kailash Range, runs along southern bank of the Pangong Tso, from centre of Pangong Tso at Lukung to the west to Phursook Bay and Mount Kailash.

Changchenmo Range has several glaciated spurs which slope down and jut into the northern bank of Pangong Tso, and these spurs are called as the fingers. From west to east, these are named as the Finger-1 to Finger-8. The Indian claim of LAC runs east till the Finger-8, and the Chinese claim of the LAC runs west till the Finger-4. The overlapping LAC claim area between Finger-4 and Finger-8 is considered a buffer zone by India and China. Indian Military has a permanent base near the Finger-3, named as the Dhan Singh Thapa Post, and the Chinese Military has a permanent base to the east of Finger-8.

Pangong Range has several important features, from northwest to southeast: Harong peak, Merag peak, Kangju Kangri peak, and Kongta La pass.

Kailash Range on the southern bank of Pangong begins from Lukung, runs eastward via Thakung Heights, Helmet Top, Phursook Bay, till India-claimed-LAC at Bangong Co. Other important features in this range are Helmet Top, Black Top, Gurung Hill, Spanggur Gap, Spanggur Tso, Rezang La, Rechin La, Rezang La II, etc.

China-Claimed-LAC runs via Finger-4 in Changchenmo Range on north bank of Pangong Tso to Phursook Bay on south bank, then via Helmet Top, Gurung Hill, Spanggur Gap, Magar Hill, Mukhpari, Rezang La (1962 battle), Rezang Top, Rechin La, Rezang La II, Mount Sajum.

India-Claimed-LAC runs further northeast of China-Claimed-LAC via Finger-8 in Changchenmo Range on north bank of Pangong Tso to Bangong Co on south bank, then via Black Top and Gurung Hill, and then along same the alignment as the China-Claimed-LAC via Spanggur Gap, Rezang La, etc.

India-Claimed-border runs further northeast of India-Claimed-LAC via Khurnak Fort on north bank of Pangong Tso to Mumkun peak on south bank, to Laban peak, Matung Nyungtsa, Spanggur Tso, Dage peak, Rechihlong and Bapi peak.

Sino-Indian border dispute
Pangong Tso is disputed territory. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) passes through the lake. A section of the lake approximately 20 km east from the LAC is controlled by China but claimed by India. The eastern end of the lake is in Tibet. After the mid-19th century, Pangong Tso was at the southern end of Johnson Line, an early attempt at demarcation between India and China in the Aksai Chin region.

The Khurnak Fort lies on the northern bank of the lake, about halfway up Pangong Tso. The Chinese have controlled the Khurnak Fort area since 1958. To the south is the smaller Spanggur Tso lake.

On 20 October 1962, Pangong Tso saw military action during the Sino-Indian War, successful for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). The area remains a sensitive border point along the LAC. Incursions from the Chinese side are common.

In August 2017, Indian and Chinese forces near Pangong Tso engaged in a melee involving kicking, punching, rock throwing, and use of makeshift weapons such as sticks and rods. On 11 September 2019, PLA troops confronted Indian troops on the northern bank. On 5–6 May 2020, a face-off between about 250 Indian and Chinese troops near the lake resulted in casualties on both sides.

On 29–30 August 2020, Indian troops occupied many heights on the south bank of Pangong Tso. The heights included Rezang La, Reqin La, Black Top, Hanan, Helmet, Gurung Hill, Gorkha Hill and Magar Hill. Some of these heights are in the grey zone of the LAC and overlook Chinese camps. India chose to pull back from these positions as leverage for larger disengagement.

China is building a bridge across the lake near the Khurnak Fort. Both the Chinese and Indian militaries have vessels stationed on the lake.

Transport & roads
Following roads provide the access within the Indian held area:


 * "Phobrang-Marsimik La-Tsogtsalu-Hot Springs Road" (PMTHR) or "Marsimik La Road" (MLR) in Changchenmo Range, via Phobrang & Marsimik La is a motorable black-topped road which runs east of Pangong Tso. It also provides access to the "Finger-4 Road".


 * "Finger-4 Road" (F4R), is a black top motorable road till "Finger-4" on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso, being built by India which will be completed by 2025.


 * "Lukung-Chartse Road" (LC Road), 32 km long road connects the northwest bank of Pangong Tso.


 * "Surtok-Kakstet-Chushul Road"'' (CKC road), a motorable black-topped road parallel to the southern bank of Pangong Tso, provides shortest route from Surtok, Spangmik, Man, Merak & Kakshet to Chushul.


 * "Pangong Lakeshore Road" (PL road), is a motorable road along the scenic southern shore of Pangong Tso from Kakset to Chushul via Lukung and Thakung (Indian military post).

Following roads provide the access within the China held area:


 * "China National Highway 696": runs along the India China LAC and border along a route which is opposite India held Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) & Burtsa, near Kongka La pass, to Nyagzu and Khurnak Fort, to Recho (opposite India-held Dungti).


 * "China National Highway 219" passes by the eastern end of Pangong Tso. The lake can be accessed by driving 12 km from Rutog or 130 km from Shiquanhe. Tourists can rent a boat on the lake, but landing on islands is not allowed, to protecting the avian breeding grounds. There are several restaurants along the shore. The "Khurnak Bridges" are the twin adjacent bridges over the Pangong Tso, one smaller and a bigger one for the heavier vehicle, built by China to connect Khurnak Fort on the north bank to Rutog in southeast via a new road which will reduce the distance between two locations by 150 km. India claims that this bridge is illegal as it lies in the area claimed by India. It lies 20 km east of the point [Finger 8] which India perceives to be the location of LAC.

Tourism
On the Indian side, an Inner Line Permit is required to visit the lake, as it lies on the Sino-Indian Line of Actual Control. For security reasons, India does not permit boating. Groups are permitted, accompanied by an accredited guide. The past few years have seen a remarkable increase in Indian tourists flocking to Pangong Lake. However, this surge has presented environmental challenges due to inadequate infrastructure to accommodate and manage the growing number of visitors. In 2023, on the Indian side the tourists are allowed to visit only the eastern and southern bank, access to the north bank is not yet open for the tourists.

Flora and fauna
The eastern part of the lake is fresh, with the content of total dissolved solids at 0.68 g/L, while the western part of the lake is saline, with the salinity at 11.02 g/L. The brackish water of the lake has very low micro-vegetation. Guides report that there are no fish or other aquatic life on the Indian side of the lake, except for some small crustaceans. On the other hand, visitors see numerous ducks and gulls over and on the lake surface. There are some species of scrub and perennial herbs that grow in the marshes around the lake.

The lake acts as an important breeding ground for a variety of birds including a number of migratory birds. During summer, the bar-headed geese and Brahmini ducks are commonly seen here. The region around the lake supports a number of species of wildlife including the kiang and the marmot. The lake hosts large quantities of fish, especially Schizopygopsis stoliczkai and Racoma labiata. Freshwater snails of the genus Radix also live in the lake.

Formerly, Pangong Tso had an outlet to the Shyok River, a tributary of the Indus River, but it was closed off by natural damming. Two streams feed the lake from the Indian side, forming marshes and wetlands at the edges. Strand lines above current lake level reveal a 5 m thick layer of mud and laminated sand, suggesting the lake has shrunken recently on the geological scale. On the Indian side, no fish have been observed, however in the stream coming from the south-eastern side (Cheshul nalla), three fish species (Schizopygopsis stoliczkae, Tibetan stone loach and Triplophysa gracilis) have been reported (Bhat et al., 2011). The low biodiversity has been reported as being due to high salinity and harsh environmental conditions (Bhat et al., 2011).

Bird Islet is a popular location for bird-watching for tourists in Ngari.