Published On : Tue, Jan 24th, 2017

Has Mt Everest shrunk? Survey of India to measure height

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Hyderabad: The Survey of India would soon “re-measure” the height of Mount Everest to verify doubts expressed over it in some sections of the scientific community following the major earthquake in Nepal two years ago and to help scientific studies, Surveyor General of India Swarna Subba Rao has said.

“We are sending an expedition to Mount Everest. Its height was declared, if I remember correctly, in 1855. Many others also measured it. But the height given by Survey of India, even today, is taken as the correct height. It is 29,028 ft. We are re-measuring it.

“Two years have passed since the major Nepal earthquake. After that, there is a doubt in the scientific community that it is shrinking. That is one of the reasons. Second reason is, it helps in scientific studies, (tectonic) plate movements etc,” he said.

All the necessary approvals have been obtained for the expedition and the effort should begin in a month, he said on the sidelines of a meeting of Geospatial World Forum in Hyderabad.