Pithoragarh (U’khand):
A five-member team of mountaineers has trekked to an unexplored lake at the base of the Sela pass located at a height of 20,000 feet here, according to expedition leader Yogesh Garbiyal.
“It is spread over 1-km area with serene and crystal clear waters,” Garbiyal, who had scaled the Everest in 2017, told PTI.
The lake flows about three km north of the pass that links the Himalayan valleys of Vyas and Darma close to the India-China border in the district, Garbiyal said.
He said they were in the process of informing the state government about the lake with a request to develop it for tourism purposes.
Garbiyal said the five-member team had started its expedition, sponsored by Climbing Beyond Summits, on October 9 and concluded it on October 16 with the discovery of the lake.
Villagers in the area also expressed surprise over the discovery.
“We never heard of the lake even from our forefathers,” said Kunwar Singh Kutiya, a resident of Kuti village in Vyas Valley.
“Having a lake at such a height is rare and villagers would really be happy if it is developed for tourism purposes,” he said.
