ladakh is a visual treat that stirs peace and tranquility, leaving one totally enthralled by the beauty of the barrenness. With increasing tourism, however, its fragile ecosystem is now coming under greater stress, writes Vanjulavalli Sridhar
The region of ladakh consists of leh and Kargil districts. leh is one of the biggest districts in India. It greets you in the midst of magnificent mountains with snow-capped peaks, myriad shades of brown with a tinge of magenta, black-billed magpies, narrow stretches of trees along water channels and agriculture in the valley. Due to the rarefied atmosphere, the intensity of the sunlight is high although temperatures seldom go above 26 degree C. If a book is to be believed, it is possible in ladakh for a person with his head in the sun and feet in shade to succumb to sunstroke and frostbite at the same time! Due to its strategic importance, the entire landscape is interspersed with innumerable establishments of the armed forces.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has laid down a road that connects the town of leh to the passes of Chang la and Khardung la. These roads are excellent for the climatic conditions that prevail, and two vehicles can cross each other warily. There is an imminent threat of landslides, avalanches or just driving off the road. One striking thing about the entire drive is the informative signboards that the BRO has set up. These are well-written, crisp messages conveying traffic and environmental messages.
Once you reach either Chang la or Khardung la, there is not much to be done than to take pictures at the boards, shop from the souvenir store or have coffee at one of the highest cafeterias in the world. In all, tourists spend some time and proceed on their journey to either Pangong or Nubra Valley. As one moves, the panorama slowly changes. The landscape turns green owing to the rivulets that are widespread, alpine pastures with few isolated settlements. livestock such as goat, sheep and yak are commonly sighted alongside long-tailed marmots and Tibetan wildass.
Pangong lake is situated on the border as 60 per cent of the lake lies in Tibet. It is a picturesque salt water lake, nested within the Karakoram and ladakh ranges. On some days it reflects its entire surroundings like a mirror, while on others (like what we saw) epitomises an array of blues. Thanks to Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots, the crowd has increased manifold. Tents for camping have sprung near the area to cater to the needs of tourists. At Nubra Valley one experiences a walk along the ancient silk route, ride on double-humped camels and witness the wonder of sand dunes.
Since the late 1990s, this area has been discovered as a biker’s paradise, among other adventure sports. Now it is quite common to see an array of Royal Enfields with Buddhist flags and petrol cans. The biking season begins around mid-June and lasts for over a month. One finds many foreigners riding bikes, trekking and even cycling. There are extensive trails that are walked with the hope of sighting snow leopards in the wild. These are definitely not for the weak-hearted!
Between 2006 and 2010, the number of Indian tourists increased from 40 per cent to 71 per cent with an overall increase of 77.5 per cent tourism in leh. As is the case in Himachal Pradesh, the concept of home stays has emerged to help visitors get a sense of ladakh’s local culture. Schemes under the forest department and the district administration help establish home stays for interested families. A number of local youth are also being trained to act as guides. This has generated profits for the local population, more so because an outsider cannot own land in the State. This has facilitated the local people to build hotels, resorts and home stays, besides keeping away the elite class which now owns most eco-resorts in hill stations and protected areas across the country.
With increasing tourism, however, comes greater stress on environment. At Pangong, we noticed tourists feeding paranthas to Brown-headed gulls just to get a closer, clearer shot. Despite the many public conveniences created by the administration, tourists do not utilise them as much. We came across enthusiastic tourists camping on their own (which is legally considered encroachment) and littering the pristine environs recklessly. No matter the altitude one is at, there will be sight of stranded plastic. The landscape can no doubt support more numbers of tourists, but it is the associated collateral damage that is scary. Regulated tourism is not new to this State and probably an optimum solution to handle things before numbers blow out of proportion.
The popularity of ladakh is increasing and the time seems to be right to bring in enforceable regulations. There is absence of solid waste management which demands immediate addressing. Entry of plastic into this fragile ecosystem should be banned altogether because monitoring littering is not a viable option. All said and done, ladakh is a visual treat that stirs peace, leaving one spiritually enthralled in the midst of absolute beauty in the barrenness.
The writer is an Indian Forest Service officer