Yusmarg calling!

A road through lush forests, with mesmerising chirping of birds, leads to Yusmarg, a famous tourist resort in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district. Constant breeze of fresh air welcomes the visitors. However, a drive to the tail end of the resort exposes its underbelly!

In absence of solid waste management facilities, meadows are littered with tons of plastic and polythene. In blatant violation of environmental laws, solid waste is being burnt in dustbins, and dumped in forests. It is said that a waste processing machine procured several years ago hasn’t been made operational.

It seems to be a free for all destination as there is no regulation to prevent activities which are detrimental to Yusmarg’s fragile eco-system. Many people lit bonfires and even cook meals in parks, permanently damaging grass. A water reservoir turned into a lake looks amazing, however, many drivers wash their vehicles near it—polluting its flora and fauna. Benches across Yusmarg are broken beyond repair. There seems to be no accountability.

In absence of proper drainage system or a Sewage Treatment Plan, surface and ground water resources are getting polluted extensively in Yusmarg. Due to mounds of garbage and horse and cow dung, the pungent smell overwhelms the aroma of pine trees.

Due to lack of basic facilities, there is a sharp decline in the footfall of foreign and national tourists to the resort. As per the locals, till a few decades ago, Yusmarg was a favorite haunt of foreigners who were mesmerised by its natural beauty and serenity. This used to be an offbeat tourist destination. Now visitors to the resort are mostly people from various areas of J&K who are primarily visiting the revered Charar-e-Sharief shrine.
Besides, most schools and colleges organise camps and picnics to Yusmarg. Otherwise the resort mostly wears a deserted look in the later part of the year. What impression would these students who are our future citizens be getting on seeing the dismal condition of Yusmarg!

Surrounded by lush forests and meadows, Yusmarg has the potential to become one of the preferred tourist destinations in Kashmir. It has trekking trails like Sang-e-Safed Valley and Nilnag. Its natural slopes can be used for skiing in winter. The Nilnag–Yusmarg -Bargah Gandola project is also gathering dust.

From the ground situation, it is clear that successive regimes have neglected development of the resort to the extent that it lacks basic facilities like mobile, ATM, toilet and healthcare services. Despite being around 50 kms from summer capital Srinagar, Yusmarg looks like a primitive area.

One of the major problems confronting Yusmarg is illegal grazing in its forests and meadows. As per a study, there is rising anthropogenic pressures especially due to excessive grazing, forest fires, firewood extraction and unregulated number of visitors to the resort. There is a need to create buffer zones in the Yusmarg  bowl far away from forests exclusively for grazing of cattle. Besides, there is a need to put a cap on construction of huts by grazers in fragile areas.

We must learn lessons from the deteriorating condition of the famous tourist resort Gulmarg, in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. There has been a massive increase in tourist footfall in Gulmarg surpassing its carrying capacity.  This has triggered rise in temperature and fast retreating of snow cover, subsequently in winter, there are frequent avalanches in Gulmarg for the past several years. The problem is compounded by a spike in the number of snow bikes and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) which ply in eco-sensitive zones of the ski-resort.

A study ‘Black carbon in contrasting environments in India: Temporal variability, source apportionment and radiative forcing’, reveals that air quality is deteriorating in Gulmarg  due to increased human and mechanical interventions. Other tourist resorts like Pahalgam and Sonamarg which are home to major glaciers of Kashmir too are facing environmental challenges due to unregulated tourist flow.

Back to Yusmarg, the resort needs sustainable development. However, its development must be undertaken as per its carrying capacity. Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, recently held a meeting with the Tourism Development Authorities (TDAs) of the UT to take appraisal of their functioning, revenue generation and facilities being extended to the visitors. He  took serious notice of the violations happening in tourist destinations in terms of illegal constructions or that of the Master Plan. Besides, he called for ensuring proper management of these locations by creating best of the sanitation facilities, road, power, water and mobile network connectivity there.

It is hoped that Yusmarg Development Authority will work to ensure basic facilities at the resort without disturbing the fragile eco-system. If authorities and stakeholders join hands, Yusmarg can be developed as a model eco-tourism spot. There are ample huts of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) in Yusmarg and just need upgrading.

Fresh concrete construction must not be allowed at any cost in Yusmarg, to maintain its ecological balance. It is our collective responsibility to take care of our natural assets as our social and religious responsibilities. Let our future generations remember us for good things!

Author is Executive Editor, Greater Kashmir.