Explainer: Poor civic sense to space crunch — Here's the how and why to Himachal garbage crisis

As tourist footfall soars across Himachal Pradesh, its towns are buckling under a growing garbage crisis. The problem is quite glaring in Dharamsala, Bir Billing, Kullu and Manali.

Even rural areas and relatively untouched regions of Lahaul-Spiti — Sissu and Keylong — are now feeling the strain following the opening of the Atal Tunnel, which has dramatically boosted tourist numbers.

Trekking routes, rivers, forests choked

Several trekking routes across the state are found littered with garbage. Similar scenes are witnessed along the rivulets, especially between Dharamsala and Palampur, where visitors leave behind heaps of plastic and food waste after having a gala time.

Trash is also filling up the dense deodar forests at Bir Billing, the paragliding hub of the state. Besides tourists, hotels and eateries dump waste in the forest. Barot, a serene tourist spot not too far away, is facing a similar problem.

Officials promise ‘scientific’ solutions

While admitting that garbage disposal and littering was a serious issue, Hemraj Bairwa, Kangra Deputy Commissioner said a multi-pronged approach was being adopted to address the problem in a scientific way. “In Dharamsala, door-to -door garbage collection has become quite smooth and the MC will dispose of the legacy waste in the next five-six months. In Bir Billing, we are building a Swachhta café. Besides, we have a couple of NGOs who support us to clean up the area regularly,” said Birwa.

As for the rural areas where tourists frequent and litter, Birwa said plastic management units are being set up. “One unit will be set up in each of the 18 blocks in the district. Nine units are already functional. This will take care of the processing of the plastic waste. For collection of garbage, we have empanelled seven-eight private agencies. We are trying to set up a robust mechanism to address the collection, processing and disposal of garbage in a scientific way,” said Bairwa.

Steps in Lahaul-Spiti: Bags and recycling plants

Anuradha Rana, MLA, Lahaul and Spiti, says several steps were being taken to address the issue of garbage and littering in view of the increased tourist footfall. “To prevent littering, tourists are provided with cotton bags as soon as they enter the district at North Portal of Atal Tunnel.  Later, the bag is collected from them”, said Rana. “Besides, we’ve two Material Recycling Facility (MRF) plants partially functional, one near Keylong and the other near Koksar. The garbage generated at Sissu and Koksar is brought to these plants. The situation is getting better,” the MLA said.

Kullu and Manali grapple with space crunch, legacy waste

Kullu faces its own bottlenecks. The establishment of shredder and composter in the middle of the town has accentuated the problem. “We don’t have adequate space at the current site to manage the garbage properly. We need a bigger site for smooth disposal of garbage,” said Chandan Premi, vice-president, Kullu MC Council.

Manali, meanwhile, continues to struggle with legacy waste and littering all the way up to Rohtang.

Cleanliness drives are conducted periodically by NGOs and the forest department, but rural tourism has pushed the problem deeper into the villages — where panchayats lack the funds and systems to manage solid waste.

Urban Department boasts of better rankings

Meanwhile, Urban Development Department says it regularly conducts awareness programmes related to littering at tourist points in urban areas. “And if we notice littering in some tourist places falling in the urban area, we designate it as a hot spot and get it cleaned. In the latest Swachhta survey, the rankings of most of our towns have improved,” said UD Director Neeraj Kumar.