PUNE, June 26, 2013: A couple of weeks before the flash floods wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand, a union government-appointed committee working on protected areas had warned the government there of the impact the increasing tourist numbers on Kedarnath sanctuary and Gangotri national park could have. The committee had also made recommendations to avert a disaster.

Experts from Management Effective Evaluation (MEE) Committees for protected areas had earlier this month cautioned the Uttarakhand government of an impending disaster, citing the unprecedented tourist activity along with infrastructure development, loss of hill slope cover and waste let into rivers around the Kedarnath sanctuary.

The team of experts, including city-based ecologist Madhav Gogate, chairperson of the MEE committee, Northern Zone, had visited the Kedarnath sanctuary located in Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts, followed by the Gangotri National Park located in the Uttarkashi district, before submitting its recommendations.

Gogate, also the former principal chief conservator, Maharashtra, told TOI that the main tourist flow in Kedarnath sanctuary is for visiting shrines. He said that the Kedarnath temple receives more than a million visitors during the peak season. "The temple is an enclave within the sanctuary, admeasuring one square km. In addition, about a lakh visitors pass through locations such as Okhimath, Gopeshwar and Joshimath enroute Badrinath, and in the process pass through this sanctuary. Thirty per cent of them also visit Tungnath inside the sanctuary," he said.

Explaining how the tourist flow to the religious shrines was directly impacting the eco-sensitive sanctuary zone, he said that tourists take the Soneprayag-Gaurikund-Rambada-Garud Chatti route to Kedarnath. "The last 5.5km access is through this notified sanctuary area, but there is no regulation of entry of tourists here as is mandated under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972," Gogate said.

Also, the study revealed that no regulations on entry/stay of tourists while passing through the Kedarnath sanctuary have been imposed. Also, there is no entry fee or record-keeping on the Sonprayag-Gaurikund-Rambada route.

The Kedarnath sanctuary is reputed as one of the world's richest bio-reserves. It is spread over a 1,000 square km area and houses a number of endangered animals such as the Himalayan Musk Deer, Himalaya Tahr, Serow and Pheasants. Six feet wide bridle paths spread to many important shrines that exist in and around the sanctuary. These include paths to Kedarnath and other temples in the sanctuary, including Madhyamaheshwar, Tungnath and Rudranath and Badrinath, via Joshimath.

The report added that all the places of religious importance are located within the protected area, as enclaves and approaches to these temples pass through the sanctuary. "Roads leading to these temples are poor and landslides are frequent during the rains. The interior areas of the sanctuary are connected by bridles or footpaths. This sort of road is unsuitable for such unprecedented tourist traffic," Gogate said.

The assessment will be part of the final report compiled by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) on protected areas and will later be sent to the union government.

The pressures on Kedarnath sanctuary

Over one million tourists visit Kedarnath temple and shrines here during peak tourist season.

There are around nine operational helipad services. Four helicopters fly at any given time during the tourist season, navigating their way through narrow valley spaces.

5,000 horses ply here carrying tourists via bridle roads around the Kedarnath temple during the three-month peak season, starting May every year. 3,000 of these horses ferry people, 2,000 used for carrying luggage.

Committee's recommendations to Uttarakhand government

Reduce tourist footprint, as the Himalayas (with their peculiar geo-morphology) are fragile mountains.

Grazing by horses here has led to loss of cover in scrub forests and alpine meadows in the higher reaches, which is hazardous.

The Mandakini valley, which receives high precipitation, needs to have vegetation on its slope for stability

Tree/shrub biomass is the only available source of fuel here to meet cooking energy requirements to cater to tourists and support local services. Uncontrolled use of this resource, as has been seen during the assessment, will denude the tree cover, resulting in flashfloods

Generation of non-biodegradable waste in the region, which is dumped in streams, is also hazardous. This obstructs stream flow and builds up a huge quantity of waste in the rivers, resulting in erosion of banks and ultimately, floods.
 

Source: The Times of India, DT. June 26, 2013.