China troops settle in for Himalayan winter with hotpot deliveries and oxygen on tap
- As the border dispute with India continues, Chinese soldiers are suiting up in the latest technology to survive cold and altitude
- In the extreme conditions, oxygen is no longer a medical treatment but a regular addition to daily life
As the deadlock continues, survival has become paramount for the People’s Liberation Army troops stationed at “the roof of the world” where daytime temperatures are typically around minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit).
Oxygen is the most vital issue, with levels at 3,000 metres (9,842 feet) dropping to a third lower than at sea level and to just half at 5,000 metres. A lack of oxygen leads to nausea, headaches, memory loss and depression, as well as severe lung infections and swelling of the brain.
On Monday, the PLA Daily reported that all Chinese outposts at altitudes above 3,000 metres had been equipped with oxygen generators. Troops stationed higher than 4,000 metres would receive mandatory oxygen therapy for an hour each day, the report said.
“The data shows daily one-hour oxygen therapy can increase blood-oxygen saturation by 9 per cent and greatly reduce the chance of altitude sickness,” the report said. “The therapy will become more of a fitness method than a medical treatment.”
Apart from building large oxygen generation stations, truck-mounted generators, and hyperbaric oxygen cabins, the PLA had also developed portable generators, cylinders, and even portable hyperbaric cabins and chemical generators for individual soldiers, it said.