Bharati station. Yes, India has bases in Antarctica. Bharati station is the third to be constructed. The earliest base, Dakshin Gangotri, was decommissioned in 1990 after being covered in snow and ice and is now an historic site. It was replaced by Maitri station, India’s main base in Antarctica, located in the Schirmacher Oasis.
Bharati station was built in the Larsmann Hills, an area known as an Antarctic Oasis since it is free of ice and snow. Bharati mainly does research on earth, life. oceanic and atmospheric sciences.
The base is on the coast so it is resupplied by a single ship visit each year in either January or February. The average temperature in winter is only around -18°C and in summer averages -5°C.
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) controls the Indian Antarctic Programme. Along with the Department of Ocean Development they select the members for India’s Antarctic expeditions. After medical tests and subsequent acclimatisation training in the Himalayas, these selected members are also trained in survival, environmental ethics, firefighting and operating in a group.
The Design
Bharati comprises three floors, built using 134 shipping containers which were interlocked and covered by an insulated skin and outer shell. The containers were first prefabricated in Germany, before being shipped and quickly assembled on-site during the short Antarctic summer of 2011/12
Bharati station station can host a total of 72 personnel, 47 in the main building all year round and an additional 25 in shelters during summer.
India has been operating in Antarctica since 1981. By 2005 a total of 120 new microbes had been discovered in the Antarctic and 30 of these microbes had been discovered by Indian scientists (it’s probably more now) so India has been contributing some significant results to Antarctic science.
You can check the base out on Google Earth 69°24′29″S 76°11′14″E
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