Glaciers in Northern India Are Facing the Rap of Growing Tourism

Manali, India: Environmentalists claim that diminishing glaciers and melting snows on high Himalayan peak could hamper millions of people living in the Indian subcontinent who depend on rivers fed by the huge ice masses of the Himalayas. A large flow of tourists is impacting the mountains situated in the northern Himachal Pradesh state of the country.

Kullu Valley, in the scenic town of Manali is nestled in the Himalayas and attracts numerous numbers of tourists who visit to seek a retreat from the blazing heat of the Indian plains.

Manager of Sterling Resorts, D.S. Adtiya, said a snow covered pass that lies at a distance of 50 km up a twisting mountain road is a big attraction. He said, “Being the snow covered region, every part stands as a renowned tourist destination. As Rothang is a key drive of Manali.”

The Rohtang Pass hosts much more tourists today than it did now than it did a decade ago because the rising affluence among the middle class Indian’s attracts more visitors to this hill town. During the summer months of the country, over 2,000 vehicles ply the narrow road daily, turning the path into a congested city street.

J.C. Kuniyal, a senior scientist at the G B Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, who is examining the Rothang region, said temperatures in the Kullu valley have increased by about point six degree centigrade. 

He said that the more worrying part is the impact on the delicate mountain ecology by the uncontrolled tourism. 

“I have witnessed that the region is facing a high incursion due to the increasing population or human activity, the aerosol is increasing rapidly,” Kuniyal said. “These are the chief causes to the melting glaciers of the Himalayas.”

The aerosols come both from diesel exhausts of vehicles and burning of wood for cooking by local inhabitants. These smoke deposits black soot the glaciers which will make them absorb more heat.

Ravi Thakur of Himalayan Caravan Adventure said that from childhood, he has been walking the mountains.

“When I was kid, I witnessed a lot of snow in this region, compared to that there is very less snow this time. There was a lot of ice, when I first visited the glaciers. I have noticed that the glaciers have been thinning, as we keep going every year, almost through the same routes,” he said. “In these 15 years I have noticed a big change.” 

These glaciers are the headquarters for the rivers like the Indus and the Ganges that offer water for millions of people in South Asia and the growing tourism is raising concerns.

A director at The Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi, Pradipto Ghosh said, "If the present trend of gradual loss of net glacial mass continues, then with time the supply from the glaciers would reduce.”

Scientists showed greater concerns for the communities living close to the mountain ranges than for the ones who depend on rain fed farming in the plains.

Arun Shrestha, a climate change specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Nepal, explained,”It will hamper their livelihoods quite radically with the change in water flow. The communities living close to mountains rely heavily on the water melted off the glaciers.” He added, “Impact will be seen due to the change in melt water amount and timing.”

As for now, the hill communities like those in Manali are not worrying because with the increase in tourism is bringing more income and employment.

Yet some local residents like the mountain guide Thakur at times, shows concern on the impact with time. He said, “Till I live, we will not face scarcity of water, but in future, the coming generation, will have to face the problem.”

Environmentalists are still trying to ascertain as to how heavy the impact may be in the coming future.