Promoting tourism in the Himalayas should not come at the cost of the region’s environment and ecology
Tourists flock to the Hidimba Mata Temple in Himachal Pradesh. Photo: iStock This article is part of a special edition on the Himalayas, published in February 1-15, 2023, issue of Down To Earth magazine
Tourism is one of the largest service industries in India. In 2021, it accounted for 39 million jobs and is expected to rise to nearly 53 million jobs by 2029. The tourism industry has a major influence on the areas of visit, as it provides an incentive for the development of physical infrastructure. Small wonder, the Union government’s erstwhile planning commissions recognised the need to promote tourism, particularly in the Himalayas where villages are seeing rapid migration of youth.
As a global biodiversity hotspot, the Himalayan region’s aesthetics, extent, socio-cultural and demographic landscapes attract explorers, adventurers, pilgrims and researchers from across the world. The government’s Swadesh Darshan scheme has thus undertaken theme-based development of 15 tourist circuits in the country; some of these are within the Indian Himalayan region, such as the North East Circuit, Eco-circuit, Himalayan Circuit and Spiritual Circuit. Under the Swadesh Darshan and the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme, there are 18 projects to develop and promote tourism in all northeastern states.
However, the Himalayan region is not only ecologically fragile but also vulnerable to other natural disasters, such as avalanches, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs, or a sudden release of a large amount of water retained in a glacial lake), mass movements or landslides and cloudbursts. The Defence Research and Development Organization’s Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment estimates that nearly 30 people are killed annually due to avalanches in the Himalayan region. GLOF incidents are also on the rise, impacting downstream areas with loss of life and property, destruction of forests, agricultural land and infrastructural damage. Tourism also adds to waste generation in the absence of adequate treatment and disposal systems, plying of more vehicles and construction.
While a sustainable and balanced approach is needed to check unregulated tourism, so far, it has been challenging for policy planners to delineate a suitable plan of action that could judiciously balance development and environmental conservation.
Himalayan towns, especially those with high and uncontrolled tourist footfalls, are mushrooming with unplanned and unregulated structures that are often not in accordance with the geology and ecology of the area. It has been observed that economic gains of tourism are primarily centralised and often capitalised by a few individuals, while social and environmental costs are borne exclusively by local communities.
Pre-emptive measures that can be taken are regulations, zoning and coordination with countries with mountainous landscapes for economic and sustainable tourism growth. Himalayan states must introduce legislations for enforcing building codes, a ban on major activities and projects in fragile zones and geologically sustainable surface connectivity projects. Immediate measures include planning and practising for rapid response, evacuation, monitoring and early warning systems and technologies, with participation from people.
(As told to Rohini Krishnamurthy)
Mountains Matter: Are the Indian Himalayas tourism-sustainable?
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