Himalayan ecology faces the stress of post-pandemic pilgrim surge
DEHRADUN/MUSSOORIE: For two years, as the pandemic raged, the mountains were quiet, the silence largely unbroken. As death and disease spread across India, faith was shaken, but its bastion in the Himalayas remained at peace. Then, on May 7, as the effects of Covid-19 ebbed, the Char Dham Yatra, one of India’s most prominent Hindu pilgrimages, was thrown open.
A veritable sea of believers arrived at the doors of Uttarakhand, the devout thronging the dhams at Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. But in the past month, what the deluge has left behind are traffic jams of people and vehicles on narrow hill paths, piles of garbage in an ecologically sensitive zone, an administration struggling to deal with the numbers, and death
— of human beings and livestock.
The numbers
In the 40 days since the Char Dham Yatra began on May 3, 1.94 million pilgrims have visited the four holy sites in Uttarakhand’s upper reaches. In the Covid affected years of 2020 and 2021, these numbers were 321,906 and 509,503 respectively, over six months that the yatra stays open. In 2019, the year that set the previous record for the highest pilgrim footfall, there were 3.2 million. The number of devotees in the 2018 and 2017 were over 2.7 million and 2.3 million respectively. This year may well breach 2019’s record.
The deluge was not unexpected. On May 1, the Uttarakhand government set a limit on the number of visitors to the shrines at 38,000 per day. Under this arrangement, 15,000 pilgrims were allowed for Badrinath, 12,000 pilgrims for Kedarnath, 7,000 pilgrims for Gangotri and 4,000 pilgrims for Yamunotri. In 10 days, amid loud protests, this daily cap was increased by 1,000 people for each shrine, taking the total number of permissible devotees to 42,000.
But every day, as the administration struggles to regulate crowds, the numbers far outnumber the cap. On June 8 for instance, data from the Uttarakhand disaster management agency shows that 9,008 pilgrims visited Gangotri Dham against the increased daily limit of 8,000 and 6,326 pilgrims visited Yamunotri against the daily limit of 5,000.
Under the current process put in place by the state government, visiting pilgrims have to register on the Uttarakhand tourism website, create a new account, submit their mobile number, select the Dhams they would like to visit, and download a “yatra registration letter” with a unique QR code. Based on these details, slots are given according to availability.
Abhishek Ahluwalia, former president of the tour operators association in Uttarakhand said that while they have no problem in principle with the registration process, it was announced on April 15 well after people had made their plans. “This should have been done many days prior to the start of the yatra and in consultation with all stakeholders. It has created unnecessary bottlenecks and there are too many processes that lead to inordinate delays. Particularly for those that are not technology savvy or come from rural areas,” Ahluwalia said.
Dham Singh Rana, for instance, travelled from Jhalawar in Rajasthan to Kedarnath the first opportunity he could get, a pilgrimage he planned many months in advance. “We arrived in Rishikesh after hearing that Char Dham was open this year. But now we are being told that due to the cap no slots are available till next week. We have no option but to try again next year.”
These loopholes have also led to touts taking advantage. Since May 3, the Uttarakhand Police have arrested 20 people in a total of 16 FIRs, for sections ranging from criminal breach of trust to cheating for offences such as forged registration certificates and helicopter service frauds.
The Uttarakhand director general of oolice said that far too many people were arriving without these mandatory certificates. “We had earlier been turning those without mandatory registration certificates back in view of the heavy rush for better crowd control. For last few days however, we have been accommodating them as per the real-time situation,’’ DGP Ashok Kumar said.
Loss of life
But even as numbers of pilgrims are at a high, the number of people that have died on the physically arduous pilgrimages has also peaked. Thus far, state disaster management data shows that 154 pilgrims have died during the Yatra, of cardiac arrest and other ailments.
The 154 deaths in Char Dham include 34 in Badrinath, 69 in Kedarnath, 12 in Gangotri and 37 in Yamunotri.
In 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, 90 people died across the entire six month period of the yatra, while in 2018 and 2017 this number was at 102 and 112 respectively, health officials said.
Shailja Bhatt, director general (health) Uttarakhand said, “The spike in the number coincides with the unprecedented numbers of people this year. Many are aged, and have existing ailments.”
Startled by the high number of deaths, the state government last week set up a four-member expert committee to ensure better health facilities headed by Sajor Naithani, director National Health Mission. Naithani said that the mandate of the committee was to “function independently and cover all health-related aspects”, particularly in Kedarnath, which is the most difficult trek from a health perspective.
Rudraprayag chief medical officer BK Shukla said till June 8, 2,432 devotees have undergone medical treatment. “Oxygen was provided to 174 pilgrims on Wednesday and so far, 2,934 passengers have required it,” Shukla said. In all, across the four dhams, 6,575 devotees have been given emergency medical treatment in various hospitals, officials said.
But it is not just humans that have lost their lives during the Char Dham Yatra this year, with 150 mules and horses that take pilgrims on these treks also collapsing. The Uttarakhand high court on Wednesday in fact heard a PIL seeking a halt on the use of horses and mules in the yatra, asking for a response from the state government by June 22 on the question of whether the use of these animals can be regulated.
Animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi, the petitioner in the case, said that more than 20,000 horses and mules are being used to carry pilgrims on various pilgrimages in the state. “The badly regulated animal traffic and ill-maintained routes result in collisions and accidents. There are cases of skidding on stone paths made slippery with dung and urine. Mules are dropping dead by the dozen every day, but the government has not framed a concrete policy yet. Additionally, horses and mules dying on the yatra route are being thrown into the rivers leading to contamination of the water thus posing health hazards,” she said.
Bharat Dutt Dhoundiyal, chief veterinary officer Yamunotri said that a close eye was being kept on animals with regular health screenings. “Fitness tests are being conducted on a daily basis and it is being ensured that animals get good quality fodder. All mule operators have been warned not to put the sick animals to service and if violations are found, strict action will be taken which could amount to a hefty fine and the loss of registration,” he said.
At Kedarnath, chief veterinary officer Ashish Rawat said, “A total of 4,885 animals have been examined and 73 mule owners or operators have been fined for violations. Nine animal owners have been booked.”
Civic issues
Problems however don’t just exist during the yatra, but at entry points and roads leading up to the four dhams, characterized this year by long traffic jams on narrow mountain roads. Thus far, over 187,500 vehicles have arrived for the yatra according to the state police, while unofficial counts put these numbers much higher.
In Haridwar, which is the entry point for most pilgrims, officials said that they are finding it difficult to differentiate between pilgrims and tourists. “Many pilgrims say they are tourists and proceed further. There is very little method to check this,” a district official said.
“We are now registering 10001300 pilgrims for Char Dham from Haridwar. We are urging operators of dharamshalas, hotels, ashrams and lodges to ensure they send Char Dham bound pilgrims to the centre,” said Haridwar subdivisional magistrate Pooran Singh Rana.
Tirath Singh Rawat, former CM and member of parliament from Pauri Garhwal said that the state government must prepare for a further increase in the coming years. “With the start of the train service from Rishikesh to Karna Prayag in the near future, the number of pilgrims will rise considerably. Therefore, a concrete long-term plan is needed.”
Environmental concerns
The rush of pilgrims has also aggravated irresponsible waste disposal in the Himalayas, leaving behind litter filled mountainsides and mounds of plastic waste. Environmentalists are worried that this will cause irrevocable damage to an already fragile ecology, and increase pollutants in the river systems.
Vinod (who goes by only by his first name), additional director urban development, said, “Over 7000 kg of waste has been collected in the past 11 days. Of this, nearly 3000 kg of plastic waste has been segregated and sent to be processed to Sonprayag.”