After a long halt of almost seven months due to the coronavirus pandemic, people have started flocking to the mountains again right after the border restrictions and movement were eased in the country.?
The tourism industry took a massive hit due to the pandemic but things are looking up for the locals in remote villages of Himachal Pradesh, who have been waiting to host after almost being emptied out on their savings during the nationwide lockdown.
Borders restrictions were eased late in August and people were allowed to travel without needing a COVID-19 certificate and a border pass.
However, with booming businesses many tourist spots are facing massive littering problems again.
In places such as Kasol and Manali in Himachal Pradesh, heaps of garbage have already accumulated with empty water bottles, packets of chips, beer bottles and cans lining up the roads.
Trekking routes in Himachal which were clean for months are littered again.
Major tourist destinations such as Shimla, Manali, Dalhousie and Dharamshala get close to 150 tonnes of garbage every year during peak tourist seasons.
Manali, which gets the most number of tourists, generates 30 to 40 tonnes of waste everyday during peak season.
The ancient village of Malana, famous for its quality of hashish, has turned into a landfill. The entry point of the village is a walk through a garbage-disposal site with alcohol bottles, old clothes and tents filling the sides of the streets.?
Destinations like Kasol and Tosh have turned into heaps of garbage and muck, and market areas, streets and trekking routes are clogged with trash.
Streams that flow in river Parvati are now used to witness bottles and plastic trash.?
Some lesser-known and less-frequented villages have found a way around the trash problem, primarily due to nature-loving locals.
Places like Kalga and Pulga, nestled in apple orchards, locals follow best practices. The scantily-populated village has a well-placed system of collecting and disposing garbage. The local cafes and homestays have adapted an organic way of living.