China is constructing a bridge in eastern Ladakh connecting the north and south banks of Pangong Tso (lake).
Geography
Pangong Tso is an endorheic saline lake spanning eastern Ladakh and West Tibet.
It has a land-locked basin separated from the Indus River basin by a small elevated ridge.
It is 134 km long and divided into five sublakes, called Pangong Tso, Tso Nyak, Rum Tso (twin lakes) and Nyak Tso.
The lake, a glacial melt, has mountain spurs of the Chang Chenmo range jutting down, referred to as fingers.
Pangong Tso and LAC
Pangong Tso is in disputed territory. The Line of Actual Control passes through the lake.
Approximately 50% of the length of the overall lake lies within Tibet China, 40% in Ladakh India and the rest is disputed and is a de-facto buffer zone between India and China.
An Inner Line Permit is required to visit the lake as it lies on the Sino-Indian Line of Actual Control.
Recognition
The lake is in the process of being identified under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance.
This will be the first trans-boundary wetland in South Asia under the convention.