AMARNATH YATRA ENVIRONMENT CONCERNS

Despite religious and cultural significance, environmentalists consistently raise concerns about the unregulated influx of visitors. A 2012 Supreme Court’s Special High-Power Committee acknowledged the ecosystem’s fragility but focused on yatri safety, neglecting environmental issues like noise pollution and human impact on glaciers and Lidder and Sindh rivers, and the surrounding forests and meadows. Prior to this Sengupta Committee of 1996 and the Mukherjee Committee of 2000, were also established to ensure yatri safety. These committees recommended regulating the number of yatris traveling through the fragile landscape daily.

This year, the 52-day Hindu pilgrimage commenced from the twin tracks on June 29 and will conclude on August 19, 2024. But the presence of such a large number of pilgrims, porters and all related staff including security personnel in a limited area will create huge environmental problems unless tackled seriously.

The pilgrims generate significant waste, including plastic, and inadequate sanitation facilities lead to soil and water pollution. Temporary shelters and infrastructure result in deforestation and land degradation, contaminating water sources and accelerating glacier melt due to human activity.

Increased human activity in the region also contributes to the accelerated melting of glaciers. Pollution and climate change induced by human activities raise temperatures, which in turn speeds up glacial melt, impacting the water availability downstream.

According to one report, besides the presence of thousands of people, their transport vehicles including helicopters, use of non- renewable energy like cooking, heating, and lighting increases the carbon foot print in the region.