Solid Waste Management in the Himalayan Trails and Expedition Summits

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Solid Waste Management in the Himalayan Trails andExpedition SummitsJagdish C. Kuniyal aa G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Himachal Unit ,Mohal-Kullu, HP, IndiaPublished online: 22 Dec 2008.

To cite this article: Jagdish C. Kuniyal (2005) Solid Waste Management in the Himalayan Trails and Expedition Summits,Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 13:4, 391-410, DOI: 10.1080/09669580508668564

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Solid Waste Management in theHimalayan Trails and Expedition Summits

Jagdish C. KuniyalG.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development,Himachal Unit, Mohal-Kullu (H.P.), India

The leaving behind of self-generated waste by visitors to the trails and expedition areasof the world’s mountains is one of the most adverse features of adventure tourism. Thisstudy shows how visitors, host communities and government could reduce wastecreation and earn income from waste in various ways. Two case studies representingthe Himalayas – one for trekking (in and around the Valley of Flowers: 1830–4330 m)and the other for expeditions (Pindari valley: 2300–5500 m) – have been researchedindepth. Visitor inflows during the four months’ annual activity period at both loca-tions ranged from 25,000 in expedition to 116,392 in trekking areas. The per capita perday waste generation varied from 200 to 288 gm in expedition and trekking areasrespectively. Non-biodegradable waste dominated biodegradable waste at 66.4% forexpedition and 84.5% for trekking areas. The sustainable solid waste managementoptions urgently needed are rejection (of waste-prone commodities), reuse, recyclingand biocomposting from a variety of waste compositions that are usually consideredvalueless and useless by local people, trekkers and mountaineers. A possible scheme ofadministration is suggested.

Keywords: visitors, waste generation, trails, expedition summits, solid wastemanagement, Indian Himalaya

IntroductionSolid waste is regarded as one of the most adverse forms of pollution: it

requires environmentally sustainable solutions to reduce overall environmentalburdens (McDougall & Hruska, 2000). These solutions are not singular; they are acombination of more than one solution subsumed under an integrated solidwaste management system to deal with a variety of wastes. The disposal of solidwaste is becoming a severe logistic and costly problem in many countries, partic-ularly in high mountain trekking and expedition areas. Waste minimisationcould be the first step in dealing with waste management either at the household,or community or manufacturing level (such as the food and drink sector, Hyde etal., 2003), in both trekking (Kuniyal et al., 1998; Kuniyal & Jain, 1999, 2001;Kuniyal et al., 2003b) and expedition (Kuniyal, 2002) areas. The best way to mini-mise waste generation in many countries is to reduce, reuse and recycle a varietyof wastes (Bai & Sutanto, 2002; Kuniyal et al., 2003a). For example, reused munic-ipal solid waste derived from fly ash remaining after incineration has beenincorporated into concrete production in Italy (Collivignarelli & Sorlini, 2002).Other solid waste by-products have been used in road construction in Sweden(Roth & Eklund, 2003). Such initiatives need to be attempted in other countries, in

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accordance with the waste composition found there, and this type of solution isapposite for trekking as well as expedition areas in mountainous regions.

Recycling is commonly practised within solid waste management strategies.There is usually a combination of several options to manage biodegradables forbiocomposting, and non-biodegradables for producing new products fromdifferent waste compositions found from municipal waste or from trekking and/or expedition waste streams. Many researchers have recently applied such tech-niques, favouring more than one option to manage municipal, trekking andexpedition solid waste (Kuniyal, 2002; Kuniyal & Jain, 1999, 2001; Kuniyal et al.,1998; Kuniyal et al., 2003b). Sweden is usually considered as one of the countrieswith a successful recycling programme (Vencatasawmy et al., 2000) where themodelling of processes has been the primary tool for the strategic planning ofnational waste management systems (Ljunggren, 2000). In Sweden and England,the collection of recyclables from domestic properties as part of recently intro-duced waste collection systems indicates that it is feasible, but that any collectionsystem needs to be adapted to local conditions, both in technical design andsocial factors (Mattsson et al., 2003).

The disposal of solid waste is becoming a severe and costly logistical problemin many Asian countries (Supriyadi et al., 2000). A study in Malaysia indicatesthat the recycling of solid waste should be integrated into existing and futurewaste management plans so as to yield benefits from the conservation of naturalresources, saving fossil fuels and prolonging the lifespan of disposal sites(Hassan et al., 2000). Semarang, the capital city of the Central Java Province, Indo-nesia has, for example, a current waste disposal system that covers about 60% ofthe total waste generated and if recycling is used to manage waste its marketvalue is high (Supriyadi et al., 2000). However, all of these recycling efforts havebeen limited largely to municipal waste generated in urban areas. In contrast,rural areas, and especially remote rural areas like the trekking and expeditionregions of the Himalayas, have few options for transporting back the wastedeposited by visitors and they are less profitable economically to waste collec-tors, shopkeepers and manufacturers. The recycling schemes are, therefore,currently heavily dependent upon the voluntary behaviour of the visitor(Williams & Kelly, 2003).

The Himalayas have been a home of meditation for saints since time immemo-rial; these areas have also been reserves of biodiversity and scenic beauty andmagnets for recreation, adventures and expeditions for visitors from all over theworld. In particular, the beauty and tranquil environment of these mountainshave always been a source of attraction and matter of pride to every nature lover.But the beauty and recreational resources of the Himalayas, which were onceconsidered unique and distinct compared to other parts of the world, arechanging fast. In the name of mountain ecotourism or adventure tourism, thenumber of tourists, trekkers and mountaineers is increasing rapidly. Conse-quently, the load of human-induced pollution, solid waste, being deposited inthese ecologically sensitive and topographically fragile areas of the mountains isalso increasing. In the absence of any formal waste management bodies, and theabsence of infrastructural services, the practice of ‘leaving behind’ self-generatedwastes is the major factor increasing the load of garbage in the trekking and expe-dition locations.

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‘Trekking’ can be defined as hiking, long hard journeys, especially on foot,primarily for health, recreational or pilgrimage purposes. ‘Expeditions’ areorganised journeys with specific aims, either to reach the summit of mountainpeaks such as Mount (Mt) Everest, or to conduct research, or make certaindiscoveries in other physio-climatically challenging regions such as Antarctica,the Arctic or similarly challenging environments. The Indian trekking and expe-dition areas where the present study is focused have been widely affected by thehuman- induced pollution resulting from trekking and expedition activities. Thefamous trekking areas in the central and northwestern parts of the Himalayaswhere solid waste is continuously spreading are:

• the Valley of Flowers and the Pindari valley in Uttaranchal state;• the Solan nala, and Rohtang Pass (3,978 m), Chandrakhani Pass in the Kullu

valley in Himachal Pradesh;• Malana in the Parbati valley in Himachal Pradesh;• Chandra Tal in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh;• Manimahesh in the Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh; and• Vaishnav Devi in Jammu and Kashmir.

The trekking and expedition areas in every sub-regional corner of the Hima-layas have become so famous that trekkers and expedition members from everypart of the world wish to visit (Kuniyal, 2002). It is ironic that the pioneers ofHimalayan climbing might have never thought that their habit of leaving wastebehind would some day become a major problem. Sir Edmund Hillary openlyadmits that he left refuse at will on the slopes of Mt Everest. At that time, environ-mental conservation stemming from biotic pressure was a little known concept(Hillary & Lowe, 1954; Kauder, 1999). Every mountaineer wants to conquer thefamous Mt Everest but other Himalayan peaks have also become famous.Among these are K2 (8611 m), Kanchenjunga (8598 m), Dhaulagiri (8172 m),Nanga Parbat (8126 m), Nanda Devi (7817 m), Trisul (7138 m), Panwali Dwar(6663 m), Nandakhat (6611 m) and Baljuri (5922 m).

The estimation of waste generation and its potential management in both trek-king regions (Kuniyal & Jain, 1999, 2001; Kuniyal et al., 1998; Kuniyal et al.,2003b), and expedition locations (Kuniyal, 1999, 2001, 2002) is one of the impor-tant aspects of the solid waste management process. If the numbers of incomingvisitors into a location or region at a point of time are known, the waste genera-tion (leftover food, vegetables, wrappers or containers) per person can beestimated in total with accuracy, but unlike urban areas the disposal of this wasteis problematic. Therefore, to keep the surrounding environment clean, there is astrong moral responsibility that lies with the visitors coming to these regions forrecreation and with the resident local communities using local resources to meettheir day-to-day requirements from these regions.

In summary, the major points with regard to management of waste in the trek-king or expedition areas are the need for more than one measure in order toprocess a variety of waste compositions. Firstly, the manufacture of products inmany parts of the globe now seeks to minimise elements which are not recy-clable. Secondly, the waste produced by households, shops and stalls located onor near the trails should be reduced at the source of origin. Thirdly, it is alwayspreferable that any other items or products are subject to reuse practices.

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Fourthly, the recycling of the wastes needs to be emphasised either bycomposting or through the manufacturing of new products using the waste asraw material. Therefore, the model is underpinned by the principles of refuse,reduction, reuse, and recycling. These need to be worked out in detail to managewaste in an integrated way, irrespective of altitude, region or culture.

The present attempt to manage solid waste, particularly in the trekking andexpedition areas, is a pioneering and useful research contribution of its own kind,with its own methodology that keeps in mind the ecological sensitivity of moun-tain regions. In order to evaluate the present forms of human impacts such as solidwaste generated by trekkers and expedition members, two case studies arepresented; one for a trekking area and another using an expedition location acrossthe Himalayas. The primary aims of the present study, therefore, are as follows.

(1) The estimation and characterisation of solid wastes generated by visitors intrekking and expedition areas.

(2) To put forward simple but fundamental solid waste management tech-niques to further sustainable growth of both ‘trekking tourism’ and‘expedition tourism’ in the ecologically sensitive mountains.

Study AreaThe trekking as well as expedition areas discussed are the Valley of Flowers up

to Hemkund Sahib (1830–4330 m) and the Pindari valley (2300–5500 m) underUttaranchal Hill State adjoining Himachal Pradesh (Figures 1 and 2). In the Valleyof Flowers, the major trekking trails selected for the study include Govind Ghat(1828 m) to Ghangariya (3048 m, 13 km in length) or trek 1, Ghangariya toHemkund Sahib (4329 m, 6 km in length) or trek 2 and Ghangariya to Valley ofFlowers (3300–3600 m, 4 km in length) or trek 3. The native population of anisolated village, Bhyundhar (winter village), or Pulna (summer village) on trek 1 atthe time of study (1996) was 300 people. As the summer starts, the villagersresiding in Bhyundhar practise seasonal migration to the upslope village of Pulna.This village is located more towards the side of Ghangariya, a last-night stopoverpoint in this trekking region. This seasonal migration to Pulna therefore helpsthem to generate income from tourism and utilise feedstock from surroundingforest land. Khati (2300 m) is the last inhabitable village in the trekking/expeditionarea of the Pindari valley. At the time of the 1998 study the native population therewas 350. This village was the starting point for the waste sampling study.

Methodology

Estimation of the visitorsThe methodology for every case study has, more or less, remained the same

except in certain cases in certain study sites. The methodology for the estimationof visitor numbers, adopted in deriving a variety of information, differed fromprimary to secondary sources from one case study to another based on the sitesituation, manpower feasibility, data availability and the specific allotted time toconduct a particular study. Knowing the visitors inflow to a trek (a stretchcovered by walking between two or more places) or expedition area is key inorder to estimate waste generation and its management. To register an accurate


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number of visitors, regardless of their dispersed nature at a study site, is animportant but difficult task.

In the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib areas, the visitor inflow wascontinuously monitored at a district council office based at Govind Ghat, themain entry point to the region. A thorough census survey of the visitors wasundertaken after completion of each trek on the return leg to Govind Ghat fromthe Hemkund Sahib and the Valley of Flowers. This was carried out in the seasonof 1996 to derive the actual inflow numbers. The visitor survey was conductedcontinuously for 129 days (19 May to 24 September, 1996). The census workconducted during these days was equivalent to one tourist season of a year(Kuniyal & Jain, 2001). The estimation of the tourist trekkers and expeditionmembers for the Pindari valley was based on the records available at Phurkiyawhere there are two rest houses, Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam Limited(KMVN) and Public Works Department (PWD), which are located at a distanceof 7 km before ‘Zero point’ of the Pindari glacier.

Waste generationFor the trekking regions in and around the Valley of Flowers (1993–96), waste

generation was estimated in two ways. Firstly, an audit of the supply ofcommodities being transported into the trekking region (for the trek stallsbetween Govind Ghat to Ghangariya, and Ghangariya to Hemkund Sahib) bythe shopkeepers for visitors’ use was made by unloading, unpacking, countingand weighing wherever was considered necessary. Using this procedure, theexact brand of the commodities was also noted so as to recognise the sourcefactory of a particular commodity. In this way, the survey was carried out contin-uously for 76 days (17 July–30 September) in 1995 and 23 days (14 June–7 July) in1996. During the early days of the summer season in the following year, all thecommodities in both areas were recorded. These items, after the onset of theseason, would have already been supplied from Govind Ghat and other majormarket centres (Joshimath and Rishikesh) to the trekking region by the stallkeepers. In this way, the survey of the stalls was conducted within a 13-dayperiod in 1996 (1–13 June). Overall, the survey for estimating solid waste genera-tion in both the years was continued for 113 days during two consecutive years,1995 and 1996, and was equivalent to a summer season of almost four months(last week of May to September) in a year. The commodities were weighed indi-rectly after excluding the products in the containers in order to estimate wastegeneration by weight. For example, a container of oil (15 kg) was weighed afterfinishing or removing the oil in it.

Secondly, the three treks, namely, Govind Ghat to Ghangariya or trek 1,Ghangariya to Hemkund Sahib (trek 2) and Ghangariya to the Valley of Flowers(trek 3) were selected primarily to pinpoint the role of stalls as well as visitors incontributing to total waste generation. For this purpose, around 25% of the stallsalong each trek, except trek 3, were selected randomly so as to derive the contri-bution of the stalls to the waste problem along the treks. Trek 3 does not havesuch stalls because this trek falls within the boundary of the National Park of theValley of Flowers. Because of the need to conserve flowers, many of which arebecoming extinct in the Valley of Flowers, neither shopping nor camping isallowed by the Government of Uttaranchal state’s Forest Department.


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Estimating waste generation from the trekking as well as expedition areaswithin the Pindari valley was conducted from the start point of trekking from 25August to 29 September 1998. However, the official dates of expedition werefrom 23 August to 30 September. The collection of waste samples within thePindari valley was done in a two ways. First, the self-generated waste from ourown 20 expedition members during a period of expedition was analysed in 10samples after daily collection in a sample container (1 ft3). With a view toobtaining an accurate waste-generation figure, 10 waste samples from the gener-ated waste from all of our 20 expedition members were obtained. Before joiningthe expedition, all the expedition members were told by the author to keep theirown generated rubbish during the course of trekking in a day in a separate redcoloured kit bag supplied to them. The red colour of the bags here symbolisesdanger arising from unattended waste that is hazardous and risky to bothhuman civilisation and nature if left behind. The other purpose was to signal toindividuals the nature of negative impacts if not resolved at its source of genera-tion. At the end of each day, expedition members would deposit theirself-generated waste to the author for weighing using pan balances with acapacity of 500 ±2 g and 1 ±0.01 kg as well as identifying compositions manually.Similarly, the waste generated from meal times was handed over to the author bythe porters deputed for kitchen work. In this way, waste collected by our ownexpedition members was finally weighed to obtain waste generation per expedi-tion member. With this procedure, the wastes were collected up to Camp 2 (5500m) of Mt Panwali Dwar (6663 m) where our expedition members could spend acouple of nights on the summit of this peak. Our expedition members latersuccessfully reached the Mt Baljuri (5922 m).

Secondly, the old waste generated by past visitors, which resulted in 30 wastesamples, was collected from the old sites of the camps and sorted to obtaindifferent waste compositions. The collection and separation of wastes using bothmethods was undertaken from the last inhabited village of Khati in the trekkingregion through to the last climbed peaks of Mt Baljuri and Mt Panwali Dwar’sCamp 2.

Waste classificationThe waste collection methods in and around the Valley of Flowers involved

two approaches: indirect and direct. In the indirect method, waste-prone commod-ities were estimated and grouped depending on the ingredients’ nature andexpected period of decomposition in terms of biodegradable waste (BW), andnon-biodegradable waste (NBW). BW was termed to be those compositionswhich could decompose naturally within a couple of months within normaltemperature conditions (i.e. 25 ± 5°C). These were mostly packaged items such asmilk, biscuits, chips, tea and bread. The non-biodegradable waste (NBWs) werethose compositions which would scarcely decompose in nature, and wouldremain intact for several years. Food containers such as soft drink glass bottles,oil tins and pickle tins were included in this category. The direct method includedwastes stored for 48 hours by the stall keepers in the ‘gunny bags’ provided tothem by the author. This survey was conducted during the period of 23–25September 1996. The waste collected from trek 1 and 2 was brought on horsebackto Forest Rest House, Govind Ghat, for separation to obtain the different compo-


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sitions. The separated compositions were grouped into three broad categories:readily biodegradable waste (RBW), BW and NBW. The criteria of classificationremain the same as in the case of BW discussed above. But RBW is a term given tothose wastes that could easily decompose, within a couple of weeks underappropriate temperature conditions, as in the case of BW in nature. RBW isnormally produced from human consumption and includes mostly vegetablerinds, leftover food, organic or unidentifiable materials. The waste thrown or leftbehind by the visitors on both sides of trek 3 continued as far as one of thegravesites in the heart of the valley; they were collected for separation. Thesebelonged to the past visitors so most of the biodegradable waste and NBW wasfound here. It was brought back to the Himachal Unit of the institute,Mohal-Kullu, which is 730 km from the study location.

The waste samples from old and current wastes were collected and segre-gated. The old collected samples of wastes largely belonged to previousexpedition members and/or trekkers who either left behind these mostlynon-biodegradables openly or covered in ditches around the sites of their camps.The samples for characterisation purposes were collected from Khati village(2300 m) up to Camp 2. There were 30 (140 kg) waste samples collected using thisprocedure in total. However, the collection of these waste samples differed fromone place to another depending on availability of old waste left behind by thevisitors near to their campsites. The total waste samples classified in the studyregion were 30. These were collected from Khati (2 samples), Dwali (4 samples),Phurkiya (5 samples), Baba Ki Kutiya (hermitage hut) or Near Zero point (8samples), Base camp (6 samples), and Camp 1 and 2 (4 samples). Waste of recentorigin belonged entirely to the survey expedition.

Results and Discussion

Inflow of visitorsThe trekkers and Sikh pilgrims visiting the Valley of Flowers are recorded as

116,392 per season (the last week of May to September), which extends for aboutfour months during a year. In the Pindari valley, the tourists, trekkers or expedi-tion members are collectively estimated at 25,000 per season (1 May–15 July and15 September–15 November, or about four and half months) in a year. The varia-tion noted in the number of tourists, trekkers or expedition members from onelocation to another in the Himalayas mainly depends on the distance of the loca-tions from road links. The availability of existing recreational resources, thenature of resources for recreational or adventure activities, the level of popu-larity of a particular location in the eyes of the visitors, availability ofaccommodation facilities and other amenities, are other factors which influencethe number of the visitors at a location. As the distance of a walk and the risk levelof an activity increases, the number of visitors decreases at a particular locationand vice versa. This is why the trekking region has more pressure of visitors thanthe expedition locations of the Himalayas. In essence, the pressure of visitors, ingeneral, is considered to be more in the trekking regions than that of expeditionlocations. Nevertheless, the length of stay of expedition members in expeditionlocations is longer than the trekkers in trekking regions. Furthermore, the pres-


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sure of these visitors, although smaller in number, remains high because ofecological sensitivities and lower local resource availability.

Waste generationDepending upon the number of visitors and the resident population at a loca-

tion, solid waste generation is affected substantially by routine activities. In andaround the Valley of Flowers, 0.26 tons per day of waste is generated; about 29metric tons is generated in a full season. Of the total waste generation, 51% ofwaste is generated from the stalls. In the peak months of the year, some 80% of thetotal waste is generated, 60.4% in June and 19.1% in July (Kuniyal et al., 2003b).One interesting aspect is that about 71% of the solid waste is generated in only 37days (1 June–7 July 1996) whereas the remaining amount, some 29% of solidwaste, is generated in the remaining 76 days (17 July–30 September 1995). This isbecause the stall keepers have already purchased many of the waste- pronecommodities in the forms of edibles and drinks for their stalls and the numbers ofthe visitors tends to remain high in June as compared to other months.

Similarly, in the trekking/expedition areas of the Pindari valley, the visitorsunder these alpine conditions produce 0.04 tons per day. In terms of the percapita waste generation it is important to have a clear picture about differentlocations in the case study area. In the trekking areas in and around the Valley ofFlowers, 288 gm per visitor per day of waste is generated. But in the trekkingand/or expedition areas of the Pindari valley, the waste generation amount waslower at 200 gm per visitor per day. Thus, the waste generation in the trekkingareas in the Valley of Flowers is relatively high in comparison to the expeditionlocations because of the following reasons:

(1) There are more trekkers than expedition members in a season in their respec-tive regions because the risks and costs involved in trekking are very lowcompared to expeditions.

(2) The consumption of waste-prone food and food commodities is higher bythe trekkers than expedition members, which is evidenced by relativelyhigher per capita waste generation in the Valley of Flowers as compared tothe expedition location, the Pindari valley.

(3) Trekkers need not be so skilled or experienced (even children can be trek-kers) compared to expedition members who seek to reach the summits of thesnow-capped peaks.

With regard to ecological sensitivities and topographic fragilities, solid wastemanagement in such areas requires special focus. For example, even a smallamount of solid waste at a place may hamper the growth of small plants, herbsand grasses in sub-alpine and alpine environments. It may be a cause of injuriesand diseases, for example, by contaminating water sources, increasing localtemperature and melting glaciers at faster rates.

Waste characterisationWaste characterisation at different locations enables an understanding of the

different compositions and categories of the wastes (Figure 3). This ultimatelyhelps in the process of determining management options in accordance withwaste composition, and their categoriation in order to minimise and mitigate the


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problem. Two case studies in the central Himalaya show that the waste catego-ries can broadly be grouped into three parts as follows:

Readily biodegradable wasteAs previously mentioned, waste, which is decomposable in nature within a

couple of weeks during appropriate temperature conditions are termed RBW.The major waste products in this category identified in the selected locationsincluded leftover food, vegetables, fruits, beverages (tea powder and tea leaves)and plant residues (grass, leaves and flowers).

In the trekking and/or expedition locations in the Valley of Flowers and thePindari valley, the RBW category of waste comprised only 12.2% and 17.7%respectively (Table 1). These results make clear that RBW compositions are smallin relation to the total waste. However, at the time of sampling the old wastes hadalready been decomposed and so it was not possible to identify them separatelyamong other biodegradable wastes. Moreover, most of the commodities normallycarried by the expedition members remain packed in the containers of tin, plasticand glass. The edibles in the containers do not usually need to be cooked. As aresult, ready-made food items generate a small amount of readily biodegradablewastes but a large amount of non-biodegradable wastes.

Biodegradable wasteBiodegradable waste compositions can be defined as those items which take a

relatively longer time to get decomposed naturally under appropriate tempera-ture conditions, for example, within a couple of months. The major identifiedcompositions in the BW category include fruit seeds/shells, paper (newspaper,office paper, carton and napkin), torn or old clothes (woollen and cotton), ragsand residues of firewood.


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Figure 3 Solid waste characterisation results in the trekking and expedition areasof the Himalaya

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The Valley ofFlowers

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Table 1 Waste characterisation results (weight %) in the trekking and expeditionlocations of the Indian Himalayas (after Kuniyal, 2003; Kuniyal et al., 1998, 2003b)

Types of waste Valley of Flowers (n = 33)* Pindari valley (n = 40)*

1. RBWFoodVegetablesFruitsBeveragesPlant residuesFine organic matter

12.22.47.9

–––

1.9

17.73.87.40.52.0

–4.0

2. BWFruit seeds/shellPaperClothes/ragsWooden matterMiscellaneous

3.30.12.30.20.7

–

15.92.9

10.91.9

–0.1

3. NBWDirectly reusablePolytheneTinGlass (bottle)CandleNylon cloth

84.561.32.6

–58.7

––

66.439.65.19.5

25.0–

0.1

Decorative reuseBatteryBones/eggshellsCrockeryPaintsHairsFrooti wrappersProcessed leatherMattressStone and bricksAsh and fine earth

7.80.2

––––

1.9–––

5.7

10.11.41.80.15.5

–0.60.50.2

––

RecyclablePlasticRubberMetalGlass (broken)

15.44.71.79.0

–

16.08.02.40.35.2

Needs safe disposalMedical waste

––

0.70.7

Grand total 100.0(72.2)†

100.0(190.9)†

* ‘n’ indicates total number of samples (1 ft3) segregated.* Excludes human and packhorse excreta.† Values in parentheses are in kilograms indicating the total segregated wastes at a study site.



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BW amounts varied from 3.3% in the Valley of Flowers to 15.9% in the Pindarivalley. On average, BW waste compositions are low in relation to total wastegeneration in the trekking and/or expedition locations.

Non-biodegradable wasteNon-biodegradables are those waste items which, even after a long period,

could not be decomposed in nature. So these waste compositions are consideredto be a real enemy of nature since they accumulate and are likely to affect humanlife, livestock, vegetation, temperature and glaciers in subalpine and alpine envi-ronments of the Himalayas. The major identified NBW compositions in thiscategory are polyethylene, plastic sheet or film, soft drink glass bottles, metal,bones/eggshells, coal residue, broken crockery, nylon cloth, hair, frooti (softdrink container made of NBW wrapper), processed leather, stone and brick, andash and fine earth.

The waste characterisation results of the NBW category in and around theValley of Flowers and the Pindari valley comprised 84.5% and 66.4% respec-tively. NBW waste is, therefore, by far the major component of waste in thetrekking and expedition locations.

Economics of Recyclable WasteThe practice of discarding commodities by users occurs on trekking trails,

stopping places, rest points, camping sites, or on the snow-capped mountains.Tourists seem not to realise the potential for reuse, recycling or the economicvalue for the local population in the trekking and expedition areas. At the sametime, wastes are not important in the eyes of most of the villagers in the trekkingregions; there is a real lack of environmental awareness. While non-biodegradablewaste has potential economic value, there is a need to transport it from expe-dition and trekking areas to the towns where it can either be deposited orreused by the visitors themselves or sold to waste pickers and recyclingorganisations.

In the Valley of Flowers, for example, where soft drink glass bottles cover thepaths and rest points, there is little incentive to collect them for reuse by collec-tors. Nor do shopkeepers visualise any economic profit in collecting these 200 mlglass bottles. In contrast, the 300 ml glass bottles which are mostly transported upto road heads – the starting place of trekking – are collected because they have arelatively high resale value and a low transportation cost. In order to examine theeconomic value in the market in relation to transport costs, a pony was loadedwith 250 (200 ml) glass soft drink bottles packed in ‘gunny bags’ without anysophisticated packing at Ghangariya. When the pony was unloaded at the roadhead point, Govind Ghat (a 13 km walk), only a single bottle was cracked. Afterdeducting transportation costs (i.e. Rs 100 per pony at a current exchange rate ofabout Rs 35 = 1 US$) and collection charges (Rs 25 per worker), a net profit of Rs62 per pony or 25 paise per bottle was earned after selling at the rate of 75 paiseper bottle (Rs 1 = paise 100) to a dealer at Govind Ghat.

Another experiment conducted from the expedition area of the Pindari valleysought to find the resale value of one type of non-biodegradable waste, tins.1 Ahorse was loaded with 80 kg of tin waste from the base camp of the valley to thevillage of Selling. After completing a trek of 68 km, the waste tin was unloaded


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where the road head begins from the Pindari trek or expedition. Since this veryisolated road head has no recycling organisation or waste picker, it was trans-ported onward to the town of Bageshwar. This also had the purpose ofpublicising the fact that such waste has economic value among the towndwellers. The tin waste was sold to a recycling organisation for Rs 400 at the rateof Rs 5 per kg- and a net profit of Rs 20 was earned excluding transportationcharges: Rs 350 for a horse, and bus fare Rs 30 from Selling to Bageshwar.

These small-scale experiments indicated the possibility of transportingwaste to recycling units; they also alerted the host communities, the visitorsand the local government to these issues. The most effective means to developsolid waste management options will be to improve the transportation systemfrom expedition locations and trails to the towns. If the trekkers and expeditionmembers become waste conscious and bring back at least their self-generatedwaste to the road heads, a collection could be organised by the local govern-ment. However, in the trekking region, low-density polyethylene (LDPE), andplastic are not currently collected by the waste pickers and recycling organisa-tions simply because they have to invest more in transportation than theywould be earning from these wastes at recycling centres. So the value of tornplastic and polythenes currently proves to be quite unprofitable. As a result,these plastic wastes remain lying over the region. It remains as one of the majorproblems.

Issues of Implementing Waste Management in the AreaCreating solid waste management participatory groups (SWMPGs) from

stakeholders such as eco-adventure tourists, mountaineers, Gurudwara Manage-ment Committee, schoolchildren, social activists, natives and local government,and training them to deal with different kinds of waste compositions fromdifferent types of waste categories, after segregation in accordance with thesuggested techniques, would be a primary issue in implementing waste manage-ment in the area. To make not just one, but a formal group of these SWMPGs towork together in this direction is also urgently required. Recognition of theeconomic value of waste, rather than simply discarding it, would bring a drasticchange in the mindset of every person. Public involvement with SWMPGs, ifthey became successful, could resolve issues of implementing waste manage-ment and should be applied energetically in these highly sensitive and othersimilar regions of the world.

If these regions remain clean, visitors will not be diverted to other places andcontinue to come to these scenic places which will become a constant source ofincome to the host communities. Since the ultimate beneficiary of waste manage-ment is the host community, village Panchayats (councils) of the concernedregions might take the lead. However, these councils would have to work byinvolving all the SWMPGs under an umbrella, again with the full support oflocal government regulation and funding. In the absence of local governmentsupport, the village councils along with other SWMPGs might find it difficult toarrange the funds initially necessary to establish a high altitude solid wastecollection centre (HASWCC) at a road head point of the trekking and expeditionareas. In implementing waste-management schemes, government can assist


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village councils to some extent in checking out the sources of funding that areavailable. The fund-generating sources to operate an HASWCC would comefrom the sale of the recyclable wastes, a nominal environmental entry tax fromecotourists, possible financial assistance directly from the government and anyother pro-environment institutions willing to donate. A local government couldalso issue an order that tourists should pay a nominal entry tax and deposit allself-generated wastes after completing their journey, after declaring the prod-ucts they hold when entering the area. Such steps would financially assist thesolid waste management committees (SWMC) at village council level. A solidwaste management fund (SWMF) needs to be created to enable these collectioncentres to eventually be self-sufficient under the full control of village councils.HASWCCs are suggested in place of high altitude waste recycling centres(HAWRC) because these collection centres might find a shortage of raw mate-rials especially during off-seasons if such centres are proposed within theproximity of the concerned study regions. So the collection and transportation ofthe waste from these places to the adjoining foothill centres Rishikesh (about 260km) for the Valley of Flowers and Haldwani (about 265 km) for the Pindari valleywould be a more appropriate option.

There are few such projects at present that might form a model for areas such asthose studied here. A pilot scheme could go a long way to influencing regional,national and even global policies.

Solid Waste Management OptionsGiven the variety of waste compositions, there is no one approach for an inte-

grated solid waste management system; a combination of different approacheswill have to be applied in the trekking and expedition regions. These optionscould be as follows:

(1) The first step in solid waste management is to apply the principles, namelyrefuse, reduce, and reuse to the wastes at their source. In particular, highlywaste-prone commodities should be avoided in trekking and on expedi-tions. For example, it is possible to use jute bags in place of LDPE polythenebags to carry vegetables and other edibles from the market centre to trekkingand expedition locations. The message needs to be delivered at the primarystages in order to cultivate a habit among tourists, trekkers or expeditionmembers to refuse heavily packaged goods.

(2) The next way to reduce the waste source is to segregate the waste primarilyinto two categories, biodegradable (RBW + BW) and NBW. The amount ofRBW and BW composition deposited could be resolved through usingmicro-level biocomposting in shallow pits. Even the waste sludge can bedecomposed for composting in an alpine environment with a low humanhealth risk (Rauch & Becker, 2000). In the trekking and/or expedition areas,the trekkers and expedition members, possibly with the help of localcommunities, can utilise a micro-level biocomposting practice. Pits of gener-ally small size can be dug in down-slope snowline zones and away from theimmediate sources of river water for micro-level biocomposting. The size ofthe pits for biocomposting should be fixed only after knowing the amountsof biodegradable waste being generated by the visitors in the region during


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their trek and/or expedition. Such micro-level biocomposting pits wouldhave to be dug out below the snowline because this would cause minimumdamage or loss to the already receding glaciers of the Himalayas due tocontinuously escalating high biotic pressures and human interference inthese regions. This high altitude bio-composting, which occurs by way of anaerobic process, can be applied to denuded meadows and pastures or evento existing dwarf varieties of plants such as Rhododendron campanulatum inthe form of compost nutrients. These grasses and dwarf varieties of treespecies, growing in areas of inhospitable soil and climatic conditions wherethere is limited growth period, remain under high biotic pressure due totranshumance practices, tourism, trekking and/or expedition activities inthe central and northwestern Himalayas. There is a shortage in nutrientsupply to natural vegetation in these areas. By supplying these nutrientsfrom micro-level biocomposting practices, vegetation growth can be improvedand these areas could be maintained ecologically to produce improvedconditions for livestock and humans. Moreover, such innovative solutionswould establish a balance between people and nature in these highly sensi-tive areas that could be continued in the years to come for the futuregenerations.

(3) The NBW needs to be reused as much as possible. If the reuse potential ofcertain commodities is considered exhausted, should then be sold directly towaste pickers. Most NBW has potential economic value for reuse and recy-cling. Such waste can be reused and recycled in many ways. Firstly, the wastepickers currently do not visit the trekking and expedition locations for recy-cling purposes. So the situation becomes more difficult in the areas wherethere is an absence of any waste-managing authorities. Secondly, there is aproblem of transportation in the trekking and expedition areas to load thegarbage back to road heads. Thirdly, despite the wish to maintain the beautyand cleanliness of nature in this delicate environment, NBW continues toincrease in the areas once regarded as ‘grandeur locations’ for tourism aswell as expedition activities. So there is no option except to say that visitorsshould bring back their self-generated waste to maintain the balance ofnature, the grandeur and scenic beauty of the mountains and the clean envi-ronment of the region. Every trekker or expedition member should bringback his or her self-generated waste from the trekking and expedition areasup to road heads so that these could easily be sold to waste pickers, and latertransported as raw materials to recycling centres. The visitors could alsoreceive some return from waste pickers after selling thesenon-biodegradables to them.

A combination of one or more solid waste management options is required todeal with different subgroups of NBWs, as follows:

(1) One important aspect of reducing the first subgroup of non-biodegradablesolid waste at its source of generation is to reuse this waste by the users(Figure 4). Reuse here means to apply again either for a same use or anotherafter applying disinfectants, particularly in the case of edibles or drinks. Forexample, soft drink glass bottles can be reused for the same purpose but oiltins can be reused for another purpose such as flower pots to raise herbs and


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flowers. So the reuse of the commodities will largely be governed by thenature and quality of the containers. In the Valley of Flowers as well as in thePindari expedition areas where reusable NBW contributes more than 61.3%and 39.6% of waste respectively, it is possible to manage through reuserather than directly recycling. For example, in the Valley of Flowers, 58.7% ofsoft drink glass bottles and 2.6% LDPE polythene can directly be reused forthe same purposes after applying disinfectants. Similarly, in the Pindarivalley, 25% of soft drink glass bottles, 9.5% of tin containers and 5.1% of poly-thylene waste is capable of direct reuse.

(2) The second reusable subgroup of NBW belongs to a category known as reusefor various decorative purposes such as ‘Rock Garden’ in Chandigarh of India.The discarded, neglected, broken or deformed non-biodegradable wastescan be reused with the help of designers in the parks or gardens within thetowns or cities and at the resting places on the trekking and expeditionroutes. Items within this subgroup of waste comprise batteries, bones andeggshells, coal residue, crockery, hair and paint. Thus, an estimated 7.8% ofwaste in and around the Valley of Flowers and 10.1% of waste in the Pindarivalley could be reused in this way.

(3) After applying these reuse approaches to manage the wastes, recycling canalso be applied. This approach recognises that waste is a resource with value.Thus, a third subgroup of NBW is suitable for recycling in centres. However,to open a new high altitude recycling plant to process non-biodegradablewaste would not be a viable option as there is an inadequate supply of basematerials throughout the year. The items for recycling centres from the studyregion are metal, plastic and rubber, amounting to over 15% of total waste.

(4) A final separate category of NBW that requires separate treatment and safedisposal are medical items which are usually mixed with other wastes. This


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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

The Valley

of Flowers

The Pindari

valley

Per

cen

t(w

eig

ht)

Needs safe disposal

Recyclable

Decorative

Directly reusablevf

Figure 4 Non-biodegradable waste management options



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is an unsafe practice. However, in the expedition areas it amounts to less than1 per cent of the total waste. These items need to be brought back to the townsfor safe disposal.

ConclusionsEcotourism, trekking and expedition have become increasingly popular activ-

ities. But the visitors travelling in topographically fragile and ecologically highlysensitive areas continue to establish only a one-sided relation with nature. Theuntreated waste alongside the trails only occurs due to the negligence of visitorsand the lack of awareness of host communities. In trekking and expedition areas,waste problems are neglected in the absence of direct action by the managingauthorities. Neither are there any regulatory agencies deputed by of the regula-tory bodies to enlighten the trail users on how to deal with the waste, nor do thevisitors have a sense of self-awareness whilst performing their activities. As aresult, the visitors hold a passive attitude towards managing their self-generatedwaste during trekking and expeditions.

More importantly, they are causing an aesthetically and hygienically poorerenvironment by creating solid waste problems, which can remain almostwithout decomposition for years. These high locations of the headwater regionswhere such activities are performed must be well conserved and protected.

This paper has evaluated some of the issues regarding the status of the solidwaste problem, its composition and potential management in trekking and expe-dition areas with active involvement of the visitors as well as other participatorygroups of the region. The summary of the two major case studies of trekking andexpedition wastes in and around the Valley of Flowers and Pindari valley inUttaranchal state unfold the extent of the problem and the range of sustainablesolid waste management options. The main aim is to harness energy from thethings we normally consider valueless such as waste. This approach will lessenthe burden of human and other biotic pressures on local resources that is contin-uously increasing in the name of mountain ecotourism, trekking and expeditionsin the regions of Himalayan trails and other similar locations of the world’smountains.

For trail and expedition areas, it is recommended that there needs to be amanagement programme for solid waste which initially involves a masscleaning exercise. All the non-biodegradable waste, either lying over the treks orcovered or uncovered in ditches needs to be brought back for reuse and recy-cling. Following this, there needs to be a controlling body, perhaps as part of thevillage council as well as local district administration, that will examine andverify the number, types and brands of edibles, drinks and commodities that thevisitors are carrying with them while entering these locations. These visitors,after completing their journey, should be asked to deposit their waste at a suit-able place designated by each local administration. The visitors would beexpected to deposit all the self-generated non-biodegradable waste at the roadhead points so that it can be sorted and transported to the recycling centres.

Waste management requires a highly coordinated effort on the part of everyresponsible individual in a civilised society. Every responsible visitor or villager,non-governmental organisation, research institution and district administration


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will have to take positive steps in managing their waste in a coordinated manner.If such combined efforts are practised, a proposed sustainable solid wastemanagement plan could successfully be put into practice in accordance with theground realities of a location. Otherwise, the regions, which are so attractive tothe visitor, will continue to lose their significance scenically and aesthetically.

AcknowledgementsThe author is thankful to the Director, G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan

Environment and Development (GBPIHED), Kosi-Katarmal, Almora–263 643(Uttaranchal) for providing facilities to make the present study possible. Theauthor is also thankful to Mr R.C. Bhardwaj, O.S.D., Adventure Tourism Hills,Almora, and all other expedition members who assisted in conducting the fieldstudy in the Pindari valley. The author’s heartiest thanks go to Dr Bernard Lane,of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism for firstly assessing the paper’s potential andproposing it to be submitted and refereed. Especial thanks are also due toProfessor Les Lumsdon, of the Department of Tourism and Leisure Manage-ment, within the Lancashire Business School at Central Lancashire University,Preston, UK and Dr Bill Bramwell of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism for goingthrough the paper and offering suggestions. The drawing of Figures 1 and 2 byMr Oinam Santaram Singh, Research Scholar of the present author, is greatlyacknowledged. The author also thanks the anonymous referees who criticallyexamined the paper and provided invaluable comments.

CorrespondenceAny correspondence should be directed to Dr Jagdish C. Kuniyal, G.B. Pant

Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Himachal Unit, Mohal-Kullu (H.P.), Pin. 175 126, India ([email protected], [email protected]).

Note1. Tins: tin-coated sheet steel containers of up to 15 kg capacity containing items such as

oil, clarified butter, pickles etc.

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Solid Waste Management in the Himalayan Trails and Expedition Summits

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