Weather conditions
* Temperatures: Can dip to -50°C in winter
* The average winter snowfall is more than 1,000 cm
* The glacier's melting waters are the main source of the Nubra River in Ladakh
* In 2009, a study found that the Siachen glacier had been steadily melting and was down to half its size
Expenditure on Siachen
* India is estimated to be spending $1 million ( Rs 6.8 crore) a day to keep Siachen supplied, which comes to Rs 18,000/sec
* This amount would have built 4,000 senior secondary schools in a year or 1,72,000 schools in 30 years
* A roti that costs Rs 2 to make, reportedly costs India Rs 200 to transport to Siachen
Taking a glacier: Operation Meghdoot
* The 1949 Karachi pact and the 1972 Simla agreement presumed that it wasn't feasible for human habitation to survive north of NJ9842, the northernmost demarcated point of LoC.
* In April 1984, Indian Army moved in to Siachen to pre-empt a bid by the Pak army to occupy the glacier.
* Move came after Indian intelligence learned that Pak army was buying specialist mountain clothing in London.
* IAF choppers airlifted a platoon from the Kumaon Regiment onto the Saltoro Ridge and beat the Pakistanis to the glacier by a week.
* India occupies the full glacier, its tributaries and all key passes and heights of the Saltoro Ridge.
* Pak troops suffer a severe tactical disadvantage along the 109km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL)
What soldiers face
* 879 Indian soldiers have died in Siachen since 1984, including 33 officers
* The vast majority of troop deaths have not been due to combat but avalanches, exposure and altitude sickness caused by the thin, oxygen depleted air
* The human body continuously deteriorates above 18,000 feet
* Toothpaste freezes in its tube
* Speech can be blurred
* Frostbite and chilblains are common
* Many soldiers suffer from high-altitude pulmonary and cerebral edema, headaches and hypertension
* Troops live in igloos clothed in high altitude gear
* Troops are supplied by helicopter (ALH Dhruv)
* The world's highest helipad is here at Sonam, at a height of 21,000 feet
* Officers get a Siachen allowance of 21,000 per month while soldiers get 14,000 a month
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