Sonam Wangchuk is a Ladakhi engineer, education reformer and innovator.
You may know the movie ‘3 Idiots’,
in which Aamir Khan's character was based on the life of Sonam Wangchuk.
It was a heart warming movie.
Sonam Wangchuk has got a unique idea.
on 19th February Sonam Wangchuck made an announcement on Twitter.
He said that about a year ago,
at Galwan Valley along the LAC, following the standoff between the Indian and the Chinese army
Indian Army had to immediately send its troops to locations which were extremly cold.
The soldiers brought large quantities of kerosene which they burnt to keep themselves warm.
But kerosene was not a good idea as it is harmful for the environment
and it also had a threat of fire. Hence it was not safe.
All these reasons made him think about making a new tent which kept the soldiers warm,
and which can be used by the military.
Sonam said that he and his team developed the prototype of a unique tent.
The tent was simple.
The temperature outside was -14 degrees Celsius.
It is very difficult to survive in -14 degrees and the soldiers have to suffer a lot.
However, the temperature inside the tent was +15 degrees Celsius.
The temperature in the tent is extremely pleasant and feels like air conditioning.
From outside -14 degrees to inside +15 degrees, it felt better.
It did not require kerosene and thus emitted zero pollution into the environment.
The tent is very spacious and soldiers need not be cramped up.
The design of the tent is very simple.
Heat is collected from the sun,
water is used to store it.
Heat is retained in the tent till even 10pm in the night.
Sonam Wangchuck and his team's tent is beautiful and even protects the environment.
The tent can be dismantled and set up again anywhere else.
It costs about Rs 5 lakh to build this solar-heated tent.
This is not the first time that Sonam has made this solar heated tent.
He had made the first one about 10 years ago.
He had given it to the government, however the government did not pick up on innovation
and instead continued distributing cotton tents.
This is the second time he made the tent.
This solar-heated tent need not be restricted to military use.
Sonam said, "It can be used by anyone who needs quick accommodation."
At the moment, Sonam is in contact with the Indian Army about his solar-heated tent,
as this tent protects the environment and does not require any fuel.
It is safe for the environment as it only uses sun's heat.
The Indian army will look into it in a few days.
Chang-La pass is at 17,600 feet height
and it has extreme weather and wind conditions.
The Indian army will test the tent at the Chang-La pass.