THE GREAT HIMALAYAN TRAGEDY

In the many years of journeying through the Himalayas, I have never experienced a sense of impending doom as I do now. I have witnessed how in the name of development, there has been relentless spoliation of this sacred space, the scarring of its pristine landscapes, the dispossession of the rarest of the rare birds and animals which have dwelt in its embrace since ancient times and even of human communities which, in their ways of life, traditions and beliefs, have been its most faithful sentinels.

But for human despoilers, the sacredness has become an asset to exploit for profit. The Everest has become a high-altitude rubbish heap and its crest one more tick on a bucket list of adventures. Our Char Dham are no longer hallowed places of pilgrimage but flourishing destinations for religious tourism. Gangotri is now a seedy urban sprawl. It is only a matter of time before you may book a suite in a modern hotel in Gaumukh, promising breathtaking views of the famous glacier and the Bhagirathi peaks. Gaumukh means the mouth of the sacred cow and has, therefore, immense potential for mass-scale religious tourism.

In the many years of journeying through the Himalayas, I have never experienced a sense of impending doom as I do now. I have witnessed how in the name of development, there has been relentless spoliation of this sacred space, the scarring of its pristine landscapes, the dispossession of the rarest of the rare birds and animals which have dwelt in its embrace since ancient times and even of human communities which, in their ways of life, traditions and beliefs, have been its most faithful sentinels.

The Char Dham Yatra, as it has been developed over the past couple of decades, is a pointer to what awaits us across the Himalayan range, for every patch of this space is associated with legends sacred to the many faiths of the sub-continent. Latest reports indicate that since the shrines opened around May 10-11, around 950,000 pilgrims had already descended on Gangotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath and Yamunotri. We still have over five months to go before the shrines close in early November. These are staggering numbers for such fragile and sensitive mountain locations.

The speed and scale of expansion of religious tourism is evident from the footfall of 5,600,000 recorded last year, which was 1,000,000 more than in 2022, though it includes Hemkunt Sahib, which has smaller numbers overall. If one goes to travel websites, there are several two-, three- and four-star hotels listed in Badrinath and Kedarnath. There are daily helicopter services to each of these spots. One chopper nearly crashed near the Kedarnath shrine a few days ago. Over 50 people have lost their lives travelling to these rarefied heights in the past two weeks and the police have arrested more than 50 youth at Kedarnath for drunk and disorderly behaviour. But lots of money is being made. The past two weeks have resulted in an estimated record turnover of over Rs 200 crore for hoteliers, restaurant owners, mule drivers and porters.

One cannot just make the mountain zone a no-go area nor can one argue that economic activity, which brings livelihoods and incomes, should be foresworn. But there should be more careful and detailed planning before large-scale infrastructure projects are undertaken in these sensitive locations.

When the 127-km Rishikesh-to- Karnaprayag railway line along this valley is completed by the year-end, even larger hordes of people will crowd into these once- remote and pristine locations. Even in the protected sanctuary of Binsar, the sides of the road are piled high with solid waste, in particular plastic waste.

One cannot just make the mountain zone a no-go area nor can one argue that economic activity, which brings livelihoods and incomes, should be foresworn. But there should be more careful and detailed planning before large-scale infrastructure projects are undertaken in these sensitive locations. These are still unstable and shifting terrains, which can be easily disturbed, resulting in frequent landslides and avalanches. Long stretches of the Char Dham highway have been repeatedly affected by landslides, requiring expensive repairs. Several hydroelectric projects on the tributaries of the Ganga have been swept away in sudden storm surges and flash floods, resulting in the loss of lives and property. Natural drainage being blocked, with waterlogging in the upper reaches and drying up of water channels and natural springs in the lower reaches.

Whatever be the The Everest has become a high-altitude rubbish heap and its crest one more tick on a bucket list of adventures. Our Char Dham are no longer hallowed places of pilgrimage but flourishing destinations for religious tourism. Gangotri is now a seedy urban sprawl.We are caught in a vicious cumulative dynamic in which climate change and environmental degradation are reinforcing each other. If we do not heed the warning bells ringing across these divine mountains, the temple bells of Char Dham may soon fall silent.

Source: Himalayan News Chronicle