Ladakh rolls out oxygen parlors for tourists

Srinagar: Ladakh administration has decided to set up oxygen parlors to help tourists beat mountain sickness.

The cold desert of Ladakh remains the most-loved place among the travel-buffs. However, there’s one thing that can keep them from relaxing—the travel up to 3000 meters. When you’re that high above sea level, the adjustment process can hit travelers hard (think headaches, nausea, chest pain, breathlessness, and dehydration).

To deal with the high altitude sickness, the administration would set up oxygen parlors—a facility where oxygen cylinders are kept handy and sick travelers can inhale pure oxygen in order to combat the effects of altitude sickness.

These parlors will be created at the Khardung La top, Gya village on the Leh-Manali highway, Tsoltak, Zangla, and Abran health and wellness centers in Zanskar. Also, they will be set up at three new tourist routes opened by the Tourism Department, which includes Phobrang at Marstemik La-Tsog Tsa Lu route, Shyok-Galwan route, and Panamik-Siachen route, according to an official.

Director, All Ladakh Tour Operators Association, Deleks Namgyal told The Kashmir Monitor that the establishment of oxygen parlors will greatly benefit the tourists affected by altitude sickness.

“As the oxygen is low in high altitudes, people tend to find it difficult to breathe, and this is a common occurrence. The body is not used to sudden changes in air pressure and oxygen levels, which affect a person’s overall health. Medical emergencies due to altitude sickness are reported every year and it’s important to have oxygen facilities handy. Namgyal said.

He said this initiative by the government will be of great help to the tourists and help them in the acclimatization process. “Tourists mostly visit in large numbers in the months of May, June, and July. Besides the setting up of oxygen parlors, the administration is also putting in extra measures for better traffic management in the peak tourist season,” Namgyal said.

Ladakh administration has already started preparations for the tourist season as well as a G20 event from April 25 to 28. An immediate emergency assistance committee (IEAC) has also been constituted for assessing and monitoring all kinds of crisis situations, preventing the recurrence of emergencies in the UT, providing expert guidance, and devising contingency plans, interventions, and guidelines.