"Cool jackets" likely for BSF jawans guarding Indo-Pak border

Jaisalmer: The Border Security Force (BSF) is likely to introduce cool jackets for the jawans working in the tough weather conditions around the Indo-Pak border in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, a senior BSF official said on Thursday.

“Temperature in Indo Pak border touches 48 degrees Celsius making it extremely tough for BSF personnel and camels guarding the border. In a bid to provide some respite, jawans will be given a cool jacket that would keep the jawans brave the heat. We are surveying it,” Manjit Singh, commanding officer of 154 Battalion of BSF, told a group of journalists from Assam at a BSF Park at Sam Village in Jaisalmer district here.

A 12-member team of Assam journalists has been on a visit to Rajasthan under the Biksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra since January 2.

“However, it is in an initial stage. We are yet to finalise it” Singh said.

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In 2016, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) experimented with a cool jacket for BSF jawans to work in tough weather But the mission was unsuccessful.

Weather conditions are one of the major challenges for the BSF jawans to work in the international border adjoining Pakistan. Temperature goes up from 45 degrees Celcius to 48 degrees Celcius during the Summer season. Prolonged exposure to scorching heat affects the performance of our jawans adversely. To tackle this, we came up with a cool vest which will keep the body of jawans cool (5 degrees Celsius below the real temperature),” Singh also said.

A senior official of the BSF said trials have been going on in border posts of Jaisalmer for the past several months. The jawans are asked to wear this jacket and are monitored as to how much time this jacket can keep one cool. 

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“The cool jacket will be an answer to the high environmental heat. The device is used in the form of jackets which can be worn over under normal uniform. There will be a thermal receiver of cool calories inside the jacket and cool calories will help neutralize the excess gain of heat and maintain the required body temperature.

Hot weather persisted in Thar Desert, Rajasthan and the temperature has reached to 48 degrees Celsius which made the situation tough for the security forces deployed on the border of Jaisalmer. 

“The temperature has reached 428°C and it’s been difficult for the jawans. All arrangements for the security forces have been made, like shelter, clothes, food and water needed during patrolling. Also, the doctors are sent there at regular intervals,” the official said.

It's important to remember that unlike senior officials sitting back home, heat is not even an enemy worth considering for these men. Imagine an armoured officer who sits in a Tank on top of this heat.

 Most of these soldiers stay in bunkers at their posts. At the best of times, they get their barracks. And that’s not enough, not nearly enough.