Tourism: The other side

Grave concern

Jammu and Kashmir nestles in the Himalayas and holds multiple tourist destinations of value. Climate is a major attraction for tourists from all over the world.  Pleasant and favorable atmosphere in the UT has resulted in multi fold growth of the tourism industry. Tourism sector contributes to the economy and also provides livelihood opportunity to around 20% of the population. The UT has distinct niches of leisure tourism in Kashmir valley and pilgrim tourism in Kashmir and Jammu.

Kashmir Tourism is based on weather and climate conditions and these are the preconditions for selection of a preferred location. So the projected climate variability identified can severely affect the tourism industry through increased infrastructure damage, additional emergency preparedness and business interruptions. Extreme weather and climate events mostly lead to widespread adverse effects on mankind, material, economy or environment. Climate projections predict future changes in temperature and other important features of climate which are likely to manifest themselves differently. According to the IPCC, hot extremes, heat waves and heavy precipitation events are likely to occur more frequently as is seen now.

Thus any regional manifestation of climate variability and extremes are likely to influence the popularity of any tourist destination. The tourism sector also contributes to climate change through GHG emissions from transportation and accommodation facilities for tourists at various tourist destinations.

At present we see reckless and unplanned tourism activities going on without any cap on the tourist influx to almost all the tourist destinations in Kashmir. From the present weather patterns one fears worst impact on this industry due to biotic interferences which looms large on our tourism industry.

The unplanned and unprecedented growth of the tourism industry has resulted in severe and detrimental impact on local environment. The building of huge cement concrete infrastructure at these tourist destinations has contributed significantly to the climate change. There is no EIA done and no EMP  in place at  any of our tourist places. The inflow of tourist beyond the carrying capacity of the location has put tremendous pressure on existing resources and infrastructure.

The increased pollution load and siltation has given rise to safety concerns besides  pressure on drinking water resources.  Lack of collection and disposal mechanism of solid waste and liquid waste in the absence of a proper treatment system and increased urban congestion and lack of proper transportation facilities have contributed to the breakdown of already fragile system.

Seasonal variability and climate extremes are the direct climate change impacts. We must remember that suitability of tourism at a location is highly dependent on the climate /seasonal variations. Climate change studies have predicted a number of climate extremes including flood from more intense precipitation, cloud burst, drought, landslide, storm intensity and avalanches. Such climate extremes are likely to affect tourism industry through increased infrastructure damage, additional emergency preparedness requirements, higher operation costs (e.g. insurance, backup water and power systems, and evacuations) and business interruptions.

The indirect impact on tourism sector will bring deterioration in the quality of available water including contamination of surface water source, increased solid and liquid waste load, biodiversity loss, reduced landscape aesthetic, increased natural hazards, damage to infrastructure and increasing incidence of vector-borne diseases that would affect tourism industry to varying degrees.

It is felt and seen that the sector has structural & institutional weaknesses despite being one of the oldest & longest operating industries. The important issues relating to the tourism sector is the carrying capacity of all such tourist destinations. The analysis also portrays infrastructural gaps that are likely to exacerbate under projected climate change models.

The sssessment of carrying capacity is an important parameter and preparation of an EMP, Environmental Management Plan, is required to be undertaken immediately based on Physical and Ecological Indicators like fixed components (ecological capacity, assimilative capacity) and flexible components (infrastructure systems like water supply, electricity, transportation, etc.) and  socio-demographic indicators which refer to social and demographic issues with importance to local communities, related to the growth of tourism. Political-economic indicators refer to the impact of tourism on local economic structures, activities, etc. including competition to other sectors. The primary focus here is to study the existing capacity and carrying capacity of different tourist destinations in Kashmir tourism circuit.

The critical challenge is therefore to develop a coherent policy and strategy that separate the growth of tourism industry from enhanced GHG accumulation and contribute substantially towards poverty alleviation and livelihood improvement.

Author is climate change expert , based in Srinagar.