Karnataka   

Helping army men survive a stint at extreme altitudes

The condition of soldiers is carefully observed before and after their stint at high altitudes, W. Selvamurthy tells K. Satyamurty

THE MOST satisfying task for this scientist has been in making life more comfortable for our soldiers posted in the world's highest battleground: the Siachen Glacier; and also at other high altitude posts on the frontier. "To be able to live at an altitude of 21,000 ft, the human body needs to make difficult adjustments... the psychological stress can be equally severe,'' says W. Selvamurthy, Chief Controller of Research and Development of the Ministry of Defence.

Head of research organisations such as the Defence Institute of Psychological Research, he has studied the conditions the army faces at high altitudes. "The human body goes through certain changes at 21,000 ft because there is only partial pressure in oxygen there, the soldier starts hyperventilating to take in more oxygen; this makes the heart pump faster to deliver more oxygen to the tissues. In medical parlance, this will be known as tachicardia but remember it is happening to an otherwise healthy person," he says.

"The glands in the body are also affected and the variation in the oxygen content in the body leads to lower red blood cell count while the quantity of haemoglobin increases. All these changes because the body has to learn to use the oxygen available at that height,'' Dr. Selvamurthy explains.

It takes at least three weeks for a person to get acclimatised to the conditions in the glacier. The soldiers go through three stages before they are posted on a long-term basis on the glacier. First, they get trained at the 9,000 ft to 11,000 ft level, climbing up and down 300 metres at a time and then 900 metres and the body slowly gets used to the rapid changes.

After that, several weeks are spent at the 13,000 ft to 15000 ft height and only then are those still fit enough sent to the extreme high altitude. A contingent spends not more than three months there before being replaced/relieved by a fresh batch.

"Surprisingly, there are few lasting after effects except for some memory loss for some weeks after returning to the plains. The soldiers are carefully studied before and after their stint up there,'' Dr. Selvamurthy says.

One other aspect of having to live at the high altitude is that the body needs more calories, to generate enough heat for the body and for other activities. The average soldier needs to consume at least 5,000 calories a day. He needs to have enough energy reserves to respond to sudden demands of battle.

"We have carefully calculated how much of protein, how much carbohydrates and fat the calories should come from. For example, we found soldiers need more anti-oxidants in their diet,'' he says. The defence laboratories have formulated certain nutraceuticals especially for the soldiers high in the mountains. An herbal geriatric formulation from a Bangalore-based pharma company was altered with less metallic content and more of the herb Ashwagandha, especially for the army. This herb also helps overcome some of the psychological stress and physiological changes.

A n interesting benefit from the ayurvedic preparation being used by the armed forces was that ayurveda became an accepted alternative therapy in Britain for their government's subsidised medicare programme. Dr. Selvamurthy helped in this effort.

The soldier at the extreme high altitude has also to cope with severe psychological stress. "The soldier faces isolation, monotony and separation from his family for fairly long periods... and the fear of the unknown. Days are spent without seeing a plant or a bird or other human beings,'' Dr. Selvamurthy says. Yoga has been found to effectively reduce their stress levels. And to keep the bodies flexible and fit without other forms of exercise which may be difficult at that height.

A none-to-pleasant aspect of living at that high glacier is the disposal of human waste. The army had to conduct several trials and experiments before finding micro-organisms that can biodegrade waste effectively. Otherwise, hygiene would have been a casualty.

Clothing the soldiers without adding too much weight to the weapons and equipment they need to carry was another challenge. Lighter synthetic clothing, footwear and accessories were developed after years of work. Dr. Selvamurthy was in the Indo-Soviet Scientific Expedition to the Antarctic in the 1990s where climatic conditions are similar to those high in the mountains. Many experiments carried out there helped him later in equipping the Indian Army's soldiers. Another field of research that is helping him now is the genetic profile of people always living in high altitudes. Like the personnel of the Ladakh Scouts for whom acclimatising is not a problem at all. Also in determining whether a soldier will not be able to make it on the glacier. Not every soldier selected for training may be fit psychologically or physically for a high altitude stint and being able to spot them at an early stage can help the army save time and labour. And select those most fit for that demanding duty.

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