Coronavirus Lockdown Has Helped Rohtang Pass Get Rid Of Piles Of Garbage & Recover Naturally

"What a pleasant surprise to see no littering of trash in hills en route to the Rohtang Pass," said Nikita Pandey, a tourist from Delhi.

Turns out, the coronavirus-induced lockdowns have cleaned up the fragile Rohtang Pass - the piles of trash have almost vanished and it looks like nature is all set to return to its full glory in the cold and rocky mountains of the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas.

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"We should be thankful to Covid-induced lockdowns that gave nature a recovery time to regain its glory," Pandey told IANS, while pointing towards spots where people would thoughtlessly dump non-biodegradable waste along the banks of the Beas river near Marhi, en route to the Rohtang Pass from Manali.

The Rohtang Pass is located at an altitude of 13,050 feet and 52 km from tourist resort Manali in Himachal Pradesh. Another tourist, Gauri Vaidya, said in her past visits, she has been infuriated to see the stunning amount of waste like beer and liquor bottles and food sachets dumped haphazardly in the mountains.

"This visit is memorable to see nature blooming again amid pine forests and gurgling streams," she said.

Rohtang Pass remains under snow even during the onset of summer. It is a major attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists. The state witnesses more than 1,00,000 tourists visiting the Rohtang Pass every year; tourism, including skiing, trekking and paragliding, is a key source of income for the local people.

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Holiday Travel

However, for more than five months from December, the pass remains closed from the rest of the country due to heavy snowfall. Now, after almost six months of the borders being sealed, the state government decided to open it on September 15 for free movement of people as well as goods.

An official also said, "This time the Rohtang Pass remained closed for the tourists for a longer duration i.e. from December to mid of September. Firstly due to snapping of road links by snow and then due to coronavirus lockdowns. This has given enough time for nature to revive".

"In the last one or two weeks, the trend of tourists is picking up in Manali and its nearby areas. Compared to thousands of tourists that normally descend here daily ahead of Diwali, now tourists, mainly from the northern states, are thronging that too on weekends," said an official of the state Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corp.

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KPL Expeditions

Travel agent Naresh Thakur said the tourists from Manali now prefer to travel towards the Lahaul Valley via the newly opened Atal Tunnel, beneath the Rohtang Pass, rather than taking the long, treacherous route of the pass.

He added, "Snow is the only attraction for the tourists and the mighty Rohtang Pass is the only destination near Manali that remains marooned in snow cover till end of May. In this season, Rohtang slopes are totally bereft of snow cover, so they are not on their preferred list".

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The government is imposing an environmental cess on each of the 1,300 vehicles permitted every day to cross the Rohtang Pass. It has also started construction of eco-friendly toilets and installation of garbage collection bins en route.