Hindu devotees on the Amarnath Yatra, June 29, 2013. Credit: Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
For some, the tragedy of the flooding in northern India isn’t over. Some observers, however, are starting to process the aftermath of the floods, the effect on the region, and the loss of life. The Times of India reports that some pilgrims are saying they won’t return to Badrinath, one of the most important sites of the Char Dahm pilgrimage, though shrine officials insist that pilgrims will return once the roads are restored. Likewise, events in Uttarakhand are casting a shadow over other pilgrimages to hilltop shrines like Amarnath and Vaishnodevi in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kedarnath Temple (center) is pictured amid damaged surroundings by flood waters at Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand June 20, 2013. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer
Some suggest that given the development projects accompanying pilgrimage tourism — leading to soil erosion and other environmental dangers — tourism to Uttarakhand should be scaled back or cease. Between 2001 and 2010, tourism to Uttarakhand rose 200% to 30.3 million, mostly visitors to Hindu shrines; this puts pressure on ecological zones in places like Kedarnath (a small temple town almost entirely washed out by the recent floods). Certain religious leaders are demanding a separate pilgrim ministry and a pilgrimage code of conduct for the region, to handle the growing numbers of visitors, as well as the establishment of the Himalayas as an ecologically conservation zone. (However, the head of Kedarnath temple has also spoken out against state government plans to temporarily suspend pilgrimages in the area.)
The state government of Uttarakhand acknowledges that urban development has been unplanned and instead, intended to capitalize on increasing religious pilgrimage. There have been calls for better building construction techniques, to ensure stability, as well as greater public infrastructure to support great numbers of visitors. In part 2, I’ll get into the economic concerns and complexities involved.
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Problem with India is this will soon be forgotten. Do you think there will be any corrective action on sustainable tourism after this? Frankly, I am skeptical
Thank you for stopping by. I think your skepticism is well-founded, and sustainable tourism remains a challenge in many places around the world. There’s even the risk of less sustainable tourism after a natural disaster or disruption. If local communities depend on pilgrimage and religious tourism for livelihoods, there could be rapid and unplanned re-growth of tourist infrastructure to attract visitors once again. There may also be little incentive for policy-makers to address these issues. These are general statements and I’ll defer to those who know more about Indian politics and society — but the range of voices speaking out about this problem of sustainability is important, too. I appreciate your comment.
Yeah…There has to be collective agreement and decisions taken on the basis of ground reports, and not kickbacks received. Easier said than done with our country’s record of corruption
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