This is the new world’s highest road | Fusion - WeRIndia

The world’s highest motorable roads are in India, given the fact that the country hosts the towering Himalayan mountains, the tallest mountain range on the planet. In the past, the title of the world’s highest road has gone to the Khardung La, or Khardung Pass, in Ladakh, which is at a height of about 17,600 feet.

However, another road has now taken the title. The Border Roads Organization (or BRO) has constructed an 86-kilometer road at a height of over 19,300 feet. This road is in the same region as the Khardung pass, but it is at a much higher elevation.

This road is located in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, between the villages of Chisumle and Demchok. It is not very far away from the border separating India and China, and it is about 230 kilometers away from Leh.

While in the making, the task of constructing this road was called Project Himank, led by chief engineer Brigadier D. M. Purvimath. He described all of the risks that came with building this road as such a high elevation.

The freezing climate was the first of many problematic risks with this road’s construction. The temperature of this region wavers between negative 10 degrees Celsius and negative 20 degrees Celsius during the summertime. In the winter months, the temperature drops to negative 40 degrees Celsius. Additionally, at those heights, the oxygen levels are only 50% of what is found at lower elevations.

This harsh climate, combined with the physically demanding work, was very hard on the workers, causing them to have temporary vision loss, temporary memory loss, and high blood pressure levels. Additionally, the machines are much less efficient in such a climate, and the workers would have to deal with the frequent breakdowns of the machinery.

However, this road comes as an overall benefit to the country.

Its national importance and strategic importance will have been altogether worth the risk and hard labor, and it will be very beneficial to India in the future.

Photo by Mark Basarab on Unsplash (Free for Commercial Use)

Image Reference: https://unsplash.com/photos/z8ct_Q3oCqM