Litter woes: Jute bags for Lahaul and Spiti tourists to throw trash

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, December 19

The Lahaul and Spiti administration has decided to give jute bags to tourists for putting waste and to stop littering in the open.

After the opening of the Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Leh highway, plastic waste on roadsides and in water streams of the Lahaul valley has increased considerably due to a heavy tourist influx. Because of a poor garbage disposal system and irresponsible behaviour of tourists, the beauty of the valley is getting marred.

Garbage collection centre to come up

The district administration has decided that a garbage collection centre will be set up at the North Portal of the Atal Tunnel. It is here that jute bags will be distributed among tourists at the time of entry. Neeraj Kumar, DC, Lahaul and Spiti

Environmentalists and residents of the valley, who have been concerned about the issue, have welcomed the decision of the administration. Akash Vashishta, an environmentalist, who recently visited the Lahaul valley, says, “It was shocking to see heaps of waste dumped along roads, in streams and drains and in the snow-clad mountain ranges of Koksar”.

“This is in violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The state has failed to enforce the Act even in higher altitude eco-sensitive areas. There is need to take corrective measures,” he says.

DC, Lahaul and Spiti, Neeraj Kumar, says, “After the opening of the tunnel, the tourist influx in the district has increased significantly. Many tourists throw garbage in the open. To make the district clean and beautiful, the administration has decided to provide jute bags to tourists to put waste and not litter the place. At present, orders have been placed for10,000 jute bags and these will be given to tourists soon”.