NEW DELHI, Oct 4: Creating yet another centre of excellence, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established the world’s highest terrestrial centre at Changla near Pengong lake in Ladakh, which will serve as a natural cold storage for preserving rare and endangered medical plants for generations to come.
Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Leh, a constituent establishment of DRDO has established this Extreme Altitude Research Centre at Changla at 17600 ft above mean sea level.
The centre, 75 km ahead of Leh town towards Pangong lake, is poised to be the worlds highest terrestrial R&D Centre under cold desert of Ladakh, where the temperature goes as low as -40 0 C during extreme winter months (Dec April), coupled with reduced atmospheric pressure & humidity, and high wind velocity & UV radiation.
The centre was inaugurated by Director General, DRDO Dr S Christopher in presence of Dr Manas Mandal, DG, Life Sciences and Dr Bhuvnesh Kumar, Director, and Scientists and Officers DIHAR Leh.
The centre will act as an important utility for research work in frontal areas of food and agriculture and bio-medical sciences for well being of the soldiers deployed in high altitude cold desert.
A large number of Life Sciences activities are proposed to be undertaken at this centre including human physiological work; Long term conservation of Plant Genetic Resources; designing, testing, validation & demonstration of mobile & portable greenhouses, soilless micro-farming technologies for fresh food in remote landlocked posts; conservation and propagation of endangered extreme altitude medicinal plants; shelf life and acceptability studies for minimally processed fresh food; testing and validation of bio-medical equipment, bio-digestion of human waste.
The Extreme Altitude Habitat Shelter and the Scientific Exhibition Hall has also been setup within the centre. “The high altitude centre, besides undertaking Life Sciences activities, may provide unique opportunity to other labs and establishments of DRDO for testing and evaluation of electronics and communication devices, testing of materials for high altitude applications, batteries and fuel cells, UAV?s micro engines, high altitude clothing, etc in naturally occurring extreme cold conditions at Changla,” Dr Bhuvnesh Kumar said. (UNI)
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