Uranium near Pangong Lake (????????????) in Ladakh

I came across a news article from 2007 titled, "India finds uranium in icy Ladakh." It says that the uranium content (concentration) is the highest ever reported in India: as high as 5.36 percent compared to around 0.1 percent or less found in other sources of the country. If this is true, and if the reserves are significantly large, it is huge news (well, not any more) for India's nuclear program, especially for those who advocate India's nuclear independence and oppose the US-India nuclear deal. I actually travelled to that part of Ladakh, all the way to Spangmik Village of Pangong Lake, with a local freelance reporter, Tashi Morup . Here are some photos from that trip.














The fate of the people living in this corner of the world is uncertain. The farmers, pastoralists as well as nomads in this part of the region are concerned, nay, angry, at government plans to turn the region into a wildlife sanctuary. They are worried that government plans will impinge upon their traditional way of life. A wildlife sanctuary may restrict the number of livestock they can keep, limit their grazing area, ban collection wood, hunting and other such practices.