In the past two years alone, Kashmir has seen an unprecedented surge in tourism, attracting more than 57 lakh visitors. While the record-breaking influx has boosted the economy, it is also posing a grave threat to the fragile environment that is already grappling with the effects of climate change.
According to data from the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department, Kashmir welcomed 31.55 lakh tourists in 2023, up from 26.73 lakh in 2022 and 6.65 lakh in 2021.
This year, amid a sweltering heat wave across the country in May-June, tourists once again flocked to Kashmir. According to media reports, over 15 lakh tourists including 25,914 foreign tourists have already visited Kashmir so far, and based on current trends, 2024 is poised to break all previous records.
Homestays, guest houses, and hotels across the Kashmir Valley, including Srinagar, are fully booked.
Boost to economy, setback to environment
The substantial increase in tourist numbers in Kashmir has undeniably spurred economic transformation in the region, yet it has concurrently presented significant environmental challenges.
A Kashmir University scientist said: “Based on our studies, tourists earlier did not adversely impact water bodies, glaciers, and forests. However, with tourism now unregulated and with a significant increase in plastic usage, pollution has become widespread. The absence of proper waste management exacerbates the issue, resulting in the burning of plastic in beautiful meadows and mountains.”
Mushtaq Ahmad Magrey, an environmental activist, told Frontline that the unregulated influx of tourists was taking a toll on major tourist destinations in Kashmir such as Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Yusmarg, Sonamarg, and Doodhpathri. For instance, he said, Pahalgam, also known as the “Valley of Shepherds”, has a carrying capacity of about 5,000 tourists, but it often sees the number soar to 20,000 as a result of official apathy and mismanagement.
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Earlier this month, the CEO of the Tourism Development Authority of Gulmarg, a world-famous winter tourist destination, issued an advisory to schools in the surrounding areas to avoid visits to Gulmarg on weekends because of the unregulated influx of tourists.
Magrey said: “More tourists mean increased pressure on existing resources and infrastructure. The unregulated influx will exacerbate water scarcity, power crises, soil erosion, and pollution in the region.”
Garbage problem
What is more shocking is that much of the garbage is not treated as required by regulations owing to inadequate facilities, leading to dumping of unprocessed trash at designated sites. Despite repeated cleanliness drives by the government, tourism stakeholders, and volunteers, heaps of plastic waste continue to be visible at globally famous tourist destinations in the Valley.
Wajahat Ahmad, a medical practitioner in Srinagar, expressed dismay over widespread littering on Srinagar’s Boulevard Road along the Dal Lake. He said: “Kashmir is no longer the Kashmir we knew as litter is pervasive. We lack the infrastructure to manage the influx of tourists, resulting in frequent traffic jams. What used to be a 15-minute commute to the workplace now takes an hour.”
Ahmad cautioned that if tourism remains unregulated and sustainable practices are not prioritised, littering might become rampant and people sleeping on footpaths might become a common sight, especially once train services between Srinagar and the rest of the country begin.
Magrey said that the influx of tourists has exacerbated pollution in Kashmir’s lakes and rivers, posing a serious threat to the delicate alpine ecosystem, local biodiversity, and natural habitats.
Loss of water bodies
According to a study by Srinagar’s Directorate of Environment, Ecology and Remote Sensing, over 50 per cent of the water bodies in and around Srinagar city have vanished over the past century.
Similarly, despite the government spending Rs. 759 crore between 2002 and 2018 on the preservation of the Dal Lake, its condition has worsened, with the lake now congested with plastic debris and contaminated by sewage.
In 2017, a Right to Information request filed by a houseboat owner revealed that some 44 million litres of sewage were discharged into the Dal Lake every day from the city, along with an additional one million litres from houseboats.
According to a 2018 report by Dredging Corporation of India, submitted to the then Jammu & Kashmir Governor, N.N. Vohra, the Dal Lake, which once spanned an area of 75 square kilometres, has dwindled to just 10 sq km over the past two decades.
Similarly, according to Global Forest Watch, Jammu & Kashmir lost more than 4,000 hectares of tree cover between 2001 and 2022, representing a 0.38 per cent decrease since 2000. (Global Forest Watch is an initiative of the World Resources Institute that monitors global forests in real time.)
The influx of tourists has exacerbated pollution in Kashmir’s ecosystem posing a serious threat to the local biodiversity and natural habitats. | Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Muzaffar Bhat, a climate activist, warned that unless immediate action is taken, the region’s tourist spots will soon be overwhelmed with trash, leading to a collapse of the tourism industry.
He said: “We are waiting for an elected government to formulate a robust action plan for sustainable tourism. The current administration and the bureaucrats are ignoring the severe environmental challenges caused by unregulated tourism in our region.”
Geological challenges
Situated in seismic zones IV and V of the Himalaya, Kashmir is susceptible to frequent tectonic activity. Environmentalists have warned of catastrophic consequences if substantial modifications are made to the mountains, such as cutting into them for road construction and building hotels in the higher reaches.
There has been minimal planning in the construction process at Kashmir’s tourism destinations. Infrastructure has been haphazardly developed in unlikely locations, with many hotels prioritising maximum room capacity even at the expense of the stunning views of the Himalayan peaks.
A May 2015 study published by Elsevier revealed that since 1992, Kashmir has lost 10 per cent of its forest cover due to encroachment by tourism infrastructure into wooded areas.
Experts, government officials, and local residents in Kashmir unanimously agree that the three major resorts—Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg—are being transformed into concrete jungles.
In 2012, the Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing issued warnings about the urgent need to mitigate the environmental damage caused by unplanned construction in Sonamarg.
The department emphasised the importance of eco-friendly infrastructure development in Sonamarg to preserve its fragile ecology and environment while meeting tourism needs.
Water issues
According to a study titled “Impact of anthropogenic activities on water quality of Lidder River in Kashmir Himalayas,” conducted by Irfan Rashid and Prof. Shakil Romshoo, the increasing number of tourists and pilgrims, combined with agricultural run-off, is contributing to rising pollution in this crucial watershed area of the Himalaya.
Muzaffar Bhat told Frontline that uncontrolled tourism may generate quick profits in the short term, but it has the potential to disturb the environment of the region. “Due to overtourism, the overuse of transport in mountainous zones have increased the carbon footprint and the pollution levels have also gone up. The burning of solid waste has also increased the particulate matter, due to which our glaciers are receding.”
Workers collecting waste from the Dal Lake. Around one million litres of waste from houseboats was found last year. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU
Recently, Bhat uploaded a video on X, highlighting that approximately Rs.2 crore was spent in 2019 to establish the Waste Management Plant at Yousmarg. However, the plant is now almost defunct, and waste is being burned inside trash bins instead.
A senior scientist at Kashmir University said: “Devastating flash floods and landslides in 2013 in Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath resulted in 6,054 deaths and a loss of $195 million in tourism revenue, Kashmir, also situated in the Himalaya, risks experiencing comparable disasters if environmental degradation is not halted.”
Glaciers’ importance
In Kashmir, the debate centres around glaciers and their critical importance to the region. The impact of pollution on glaciers is a significant concern, as the region relies only on glacier-fed water downstream for drinking and agriculture.
Scientists have warned that any disturbance to Kashmir’s environment would not only impact tourism but also agriculture and overall livelihoods.
According to a study conducted by Irfan Rashid of the Department of Geo-informatics at the University of Kashmir, the Valley’s glaciers are melting at alarming rates. For instance, the Kolahoi glacier, the largest in the Kashmir Himalaya, has lost 23 per cent of its area since 1962 and has fragmented into smaller parts.
The Kolahoi glacier is a critical water source for the Jhelum river. Its meltwater supports the cultivation of cereal crops, dry fruits, saffron, and apples, contributing significantly to the region’s agricultural productivity. Therefore, the melting of glaciers, including Kolahoi, will have far-reaching impacts on food, energy, and water security in the region.
Prof. Nisar Ali, a noted economist, said that currently, the tourism sector contributes less than 8 per cent to Jammu & Kashmir’s GDP, while agriculture and allied sectors contribute 17 per cent. “Agriculture, which once contributed 68 per cent to the GDP, has dwindled to 18 per cent due to various challenges,” said Ali, a former advisor to the Jammu & Kashmir government.
Effect on agriculture
Government data show that saffron acreage in Kashmir has dwindled from 5,707 hectares in 1996 to around 3,500 hectares in 2017, primarily due to climate change and pollution. Saffron production also plummeted from 15.85 million tonnes in 1997 to 9.6 million tonnes in 2017.
Magrey expressed concern that unless pollution around the glaciers is controlled, the Amarnath Yatra, a sacred journey for Hindus across the country, could be jeopardised as the shivling, an ice stalagmite, might fail to form or could melt away.
In 2020, the naturally formed Amarnath shivling nearly melted owing to the increasing heat in the Valley.
In the past, only a few thousand pilgrims used to undertake a long, treacherous trek situated over 3,880 meters above sea level in the Himalaya. However, in recent years, the number of pilgrims has sharply increased, posing a threat to the sensitive ecosystem.
Apart from harming tourist spots and glaciers, air pollution has also severely degraded air quality in Jammu & Kashmir, leading to heightened risks of respiratory illnesses.
Pilgrims en route to Amarnath during the annual Amarnath Yatra, in Ganderbal district in June 29, 2024. | Photo Credit: S. Irfan/PTI
Dr. Parvaiz Koul, former Director of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), a renowned researcher and pulmonologist, told Frontline that air pollution in Kashmir was linked to smoking, burning biomass fuel, excessive use of diesel vehicles, and dust from poorly maintained roads.
He highlighted that overtourism exacerbates these issues globally, leading to heavy transport use, increased living costs, and neglected road maintenance, which further pollutes the air.
Heatwave in Kashmir
Amid the tourism boom, the weather in the Valley took an alarming turn last week, with a heatwave and record-breaking temperatures hitting Kashmir. For instance, on July 3, the Kokernag tourist resort in Anantnag district recorded its highest-ever maximum temperature in July of 33.3 degrees Celsius.
On the same day, Srinagar recorded its hottest July day in over two decades, with temperatures reaching 35.6 degrees Celsius.
A climate change report from ActionAid indicates that the Kashmir region has experienced a 1.42 degree Celsius increase in its average temperature, with an average annual rise of 0.05 degrees Celsius.
Faizan Arif, independent weather forecaster, told Frontline: “We need to think globally and act locally to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis and reduce our contribution to global warming. Despite Kashmir’s weather system being reliant on the Mediterranean Sea and the south-west monsoon, unchecked hillside construction, heavy reliance on private and public transport, carbon emissions, and fossil fuel combustion could exacerbate rising temperatures.”
To alleviate overcrowding at major tourist destinations, Manzoor Wangnoo, head of the Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club’s environmental wing, suggested that the government develop sufficient infrastructure in lesser-known tourist spots for visitors to explore.
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“We urgently need to adopt sustainable tourism practices to ensure the survival of our industry. For example, by minimising plastic use, promoting electric transport, and easing the strain on current tourist destinations, we can enhance the visitor experience in Kashmir.”
Need for sustainable tourism
Prof. Ghulam Jeelani of the Department of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sciences, University of Kashmir, said that each tourist destination in Kashmir should undergo scientific evaluation to determine its carrying capacity, ensuring that visitor numbers are regulated accordingly.
An official from the Kashmir Tourism Department said that while environmental rules and action plans are in place, their effective implementation remains a challenge.
For instance, he said, many tourists disregard regulations such as avoiding plastic use and littering in tourist spots. “Despite numerous cleanliness drives, visitors persist in littering, turning beautiful locations into dumping grounds. The shortage of manpower poses a significant barrier to addressing these environmental issues effectively.”
Irfan Amin Malik is a journalist based in Jammu and Kashmir.
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