India to start building new Antarctica base in January

New Delhi, July 26 (PTI) India will begin construction of
its third research station in Antarctica in January next and
the facility is expected to be up and running within two
years.

"The actual construction will begin in January next year
when the summer season begins in Antarctica," Secretary, Earth
Sciences, Shailesh Nayak told PTI.

He said construction of roads and huts for the station at
Larsemann Hills region would be taken up during the summer
season which lasts for about 90 days.

Scientists believe that Larsemann Hills region broke away
from the Indian peninsula about 120 million years ago and
drifted to its current place after the break up of the
Gondwanaland continent. This makes its study crucial.

Scientists have finalised the conceptual design for their
perch in the icy continent which had received a nod from the
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) two years back.

The ATCM, formed as per the provisions of the Antarctic
Treaty of 1959, is the final authority on matters related to
the icy continent.

The site is located on the ice-free rock stretch of
Larsemann Hills, around Prydz Bay. It has moderate climate as
compared to Maitri though strong winds blow from east to
southeast during summer.

Daytime air temperatures from December to February at
times exceed 4 degrees Celsius, with the mean monthly
temperature being a little above zero degrees.

This would be the third research base to be set up by
India after Dakshin Gangotri and Maitri.

Dakshin Gangotri was set up in 1983 and later abandoned in
1988-89 as it was submerged under ice. The second research
base Maitri was thereafter set up in a moderate climatic zone
in 1990.

As per the plan, the new research base would have a life
span of 25 years and accommodate 25 people during the summer
months and 15 during the winter period.

The base would be a self-contained thermally insulated
double-storeyed structure on stilts capable of withstanding
extreme weather conditions of the region.

While the ground floor will house general facilities like
storage, laboratories, the upper floor will be used for
accommodation, kitchen, lounge, offices, medical centre and
recreation clubs.

Wind turbines and solar panels would be set up to harness
renewable sources of energy and reduce the consumption of
fossil fuels, officials said.

The construction and operational activity of the research
base shall have no more than minor or transitory impact on the
Antarctic environment and scientists have proposed suitable
mitigation measures to minimise even this. PTI SKU
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