STOP WATERFALLS TOURISM IN OUR EASTERN GHATS
A few days ago I had written about the need to have a clear policy on waterfalls management. Please see the message that follows.
I realise that for many this sounds like a far-fetched idea. "What impact could a waterfall in the Eastern ghats miles away from us have on us?" we may ask. We may feel that it is just an intellectual exercise with no real value. The fact is that it DOES IMPACT US in more ways than one but I will leave that to another occasion to expand.
Coincidentally I visited several water flow sites in the hills some with waterfalls and others with water flowing over rocks. It was shocking to see that all these sites were filthy and in a few years will become unbearable to visit.
The tourism department's objective is to show that they have developed a new tourist spot. They do not give a damn about how these spots can be maintained.
A simple argument they have is "anyway visitors are coming here, all we are doing is making steps so they can come safely to the water. We build toilets for them and resting areas and changing rooms". The problem is that if a thousand people came here before, now fifty thousand will come. Every toilet is filled with shit (excuse the word for want of any better one). No one has ever cleaned them ever since they were built. Rubbish clogs the areas.
There is talk of organising groups of stakeholders to collect revenue and manage the housekeeping of the sites. But going by the priorities and executive level competence of the department it is like asking a neighborhood motorbike repair man to build a spaceship for a Mars mission.
So if our visitors are not accustomed to keeping the sites clean and our department cannot maintain it should we still go ahead and commit environmental hirakiri?
If we ruin our ecologically sensitive sites now it will only recover when humanity becomes extinct. If so does it make better sense to leave these sensitive sites alone until we have matured as a nation to handle this type of sensitive spots?
Our entire Eastern Ghats is under threat from over exploitation. We must have a strong policy to save the sensitive parts of the Ghats. Ordinary people must get involved. It is too important to be left in the hands of those who are compelled to make these facilities without understanding the implications. This year's World Tourism Day theme is Sustainable Tourism. If we really care for tourism we should take this message seriously.
For now stop any "development" of ecologically sensitive tourist spots on the Ghats.
I realise that for many this sounds like a far-fetched idea. "What impact could a waterfall in the Eastern ghats miles away from us have on us?" we may ask. We may feel that it is just an intellectual exercise with no real value. The fact is that it DOES IMPACT US in more ways than one but I will leave that to another occasion to expand.
Coincidentally I visited several water flow sites in the hills some with waterfalls and others with water flowing over rocks. It was shocking to see that all these sites were filthy and in a few years will become unbearable to visit.
The tourism department's objective is to show that they have developed a new tourist spot. They do not give a damn about how these spots can be maintained.
A simple argument they have is "anyway visitors are coming here, all we are doing is making steps so they can come safely to the water. We build toilets for them and resting areas and changing rooms". The problem is that if a thousand people came here before, now fifty thousand will come. Every toilet is filled with shit (excuse the word for want of any better one). No one has ever cleaned them ever since they were built. Rubbish clogs the areas.
There is talk of organising groups of stakeholders to collect revenue and manage the housekeeping of the sites. But going by the priorities and executive level competence of the department it is like asking a neighborhood motorbike repair man to build a spaceship for a Mars mission.
So if our visitors are not accustomed to keeping the sites clean and our department cannot maintain it should we still go ahead and commit environmental hirakiri?
If we ruin our ecologically sensitive sites now it will only recover when humanity becomes extinct. If so does it make better sense to leave these sensitive sites alone until we have matured as a nation to handle this type of sensitive spots?
Our entire Eastern Ghats is under threat from over exploitation. We must have a strong policy to save the sensitive parts of the Ghats. Ordinary people must get involved. It is too important to be left in the hands of those who are compelled to make these facilities without understanding the implications. This year's World Tourism Day theme is Sustainable Tourism. If we really care for tourism we should take this message seriously.
For now stop any "development" of ecologically sensitive tourist spots on the Ghats.
Comments