THREATS TO HIMALAYAS

Number of pilgrims and tourists in stressed areas must be capped. Globally, this is the accepted norm.
The large cracks appearing on the Badrinath highway near subsidence-hit Joshimath pose big questions for the Char Dham Yatra.
There are reports that even old cracks along the highway are re-emerging.
If true, then lakhs of vehicles plying on the highway at the peak of the yatra will pose a serious risk to both the local environment and pilgrims.
Surely, it’s clear by now that the fragile ecology of the Garhwal Himalayas is under tremendous stress.
Hydroelectric projects, increased traffic and a construction spree ensured the carrying capacity of the Uttarakhand hills was breached years ago.
In recent years, the state’s pilgrimage triumphalism – 17. 6 lakh made it to Badrinath in 2022 – had added to this. But it needn’t be pilgrimage vs environment.

Bhutan – as an example

The solution is caps on pilgrim and tourist numbers. There are many examples globally.
Bhutan has long charted a path of ecotourism by charging foreign tourists a sustainable development fee of around $200 per person per night.
It has even started charging Indian visitors Rs 1,200 per day as part of its ‘high value, low volume’ tourism strategy.
This policy has worked very well for Bhutan’s ecology and its tourism industry.
There are similar policies in Central and South America. Costa Rica accounts for 4% of the world’s biodiversity and relies on tourism for 10. 3% of its GDP.
Yet it has been an ecotourism champion with initiatives like the Blue Flag Ecology Programme under which a strict set of environmental criteria is laid down.
All local stakeholders in the tourism industry – local community, hotels, travel agencies etc – work together to attain the coveted Blue Flag tag.
In Chile, the tourism industry is allowed to operate only in sustainable ways within protected areas.
Tourism stakeholders are then held accountable for any breaches in these agreements.
Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district administration has indicated there may be a cap on pilgrims. Implement this without hesitation.

SOURCE: THE TIMES OF INDIA,THE INDIAN EXPRESS

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