Tourism lights the stove every day for many Uttarakhand families. According to Professor Rajnikant Kumar of Amrapali University in Haldwani, tourism in Uttarakhand employs more than 650,000 people and contributes more than 24% to the Himalayan state’s GDP. But tourism in its current avatar is reckless, unsustainable, and threatens long-term economic prosperity.
Indian policymakers realize what can be done at the macro level, but it will take time. At the same time, the state and local government, as a relief organization, can focus on measures that will quickly reduce the tourism footprint.
Private transportation is the most visible form of the crisis. Solutions include issuing paid permits for limited numbers to enter, in addition to limiting not only the number of cars, but the types of cars. Why do SUVs have to jostle each other to get ahead on narrow mountain roads? It creates air pollution, increases the burden on the ecosystem and makes life miserable for local residents. Widening of roads leads to landslides. Could electric mobility provide public transportation to cafés and pedestrian areas, along with a business model around parking private vehicles in other decentralized locations?
To prevent loss of income for local residents, new destinations could be developed nearby, for example: easy trekking, sunset spots, tree walks, local cooking classes and meals in local homes, and yoga weekends on a homestay basis. The country must invest in these areas, allowing safe, high-quality alternatives that do not cause harm to central hill tourism. By next year, protocols should be in place to protect and stimulate forests and water bodies. Every year we lose ensures that we also lose more of the Himalayas.
(The writer is founder and director of Shintan Environmental Research and Action Groups)
