BEIJING, Nov.19 -- Recently, service members of a radar station assigned to a brigade of the PLA Air Force stationed in Tibet successfully drilled a well over 200 meters underground, ending their 57-year history of water supply shortage.
Their camp is located in a wasteland at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters in Tibet, with an annual average temperature of -10℃and annual average wind speed at level six or seven. In such an icy and oxygen-poor area where heavy snow cuts off roads for six months in a year, water for living used to be transferred from a county located tens of kilometers away. It usually took half a month on roads and in severe weather such as snowstorms, water insufficiency became more prominent.
Since the establishment of the station, service members stationed there have tried several times to drill wells but failed due to poor geological conditions and technical requirements. After field investigation and demonstration, the brigade put this task as priority and finally made it.
It is learnt that the well can meet the water demand of the troops stationed there. With the water directly connected to dormitory and heated by solar energy equipment, 24-hour hot water supply is no more a dream for those service members. And in terms of food cooking, the sufficient water supply and the cookers specially designed for plateau areas ensure the food is fully cooked.
"We have drilled wells at two high mountain radar stations and are currently conducting site investigations on other radar stations before formulating specific drilling plans," said Zhu Chenfei, an assistant of the logistic support department of the brigade.