Plastic is ubiquitous, from mountain tops to the ocean’s deepest trenches and everything in between, including inside human lungs and placenta. Microplastics are formed by the degradation and the fragmentation of large plastic pieces that are improperly disposed. Deposition and accumulation of microplastics has been found in the Himalayan mountains, rivers, lakes and streams. Based on a study, the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) generates 22,372 tonnes of MSW per day, equivalent to over 8.1 million tonnes annually and contributing to 14% of the country’s total MSW. The challenges in waste management in the remote and less accessible regions of India demand greater attention and redressal.
The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) extending from the Indus River in the west to the Brahmaputra in the east covers 533,604sqkm across 11 hill states and two UTs of India. Based on an ISRO report, IHR is about 16.2% of the country’s total geographical area covering 40,563sqkm with 16,627 glaciers, and forest cover of about 205,563sqkm. The region is a critical source of water in the subcontinent, feeding a number of major rivers, including the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra River systems.
Reckless plastic disposal is causing soil and water pollution in the IHR and impacting its biodiversity, which is having an adverse impact on fresh water from the 30-50% annual flow from glacier melt-offs and fulfil the water requirements of those residing across the Indo-Gangetic plains.
According to a study by the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, the primary challenges are open littering due to the rise in tourism activities, irregular topography, open dumping of waste, slower composting process, improper waste collection and disposal and open burning of waste leading to release of black carbon and other pollutants that may cause snow darkening and glacier melt.
The lack of MSW facilities for collection, segregation, processing and disposal of waste is a major issue in the region since it is more complex in the mountains than the plains due to the remoteness, topographical configuration, harsh climate and vulnerability to natural hazards and disasters. Since proper MSW facilities are not in place, open burning is practiced for the disposal of waste releasing major pollutants including black carbon and other light-absorbing impurities into the air, often linked to glacier retreat.
The other informal means of disposal practiced is the dumping of unsegregated waste in the gorges and rivers, resulting in polluted freshwater streams leading to a much larger footprint, thousands of kilometres downstream.
While the special needs of regions are recognised by the regulatory framework on waste management, they are not factored in while creating a mandate for both local bodies and Producers, Importers and Brand Owners (PIBOs), so much so that PWM and EPR do not recognise them at all. Even though the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has mandated FMCG brands to set up and support reverse logistics for their plastic waste as part of their EPR mandate under the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016, most brands do not invest in reverse logistics in hilly areas due to the high cost of collection.
Some of the reasons for plastic pollution in the IHR include poor waste collection infrastructure which leads to more than 60% of waste being dumped, burned, or swept downstream into key rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, and Sutlej, according to studies. Additionally, waste dumping has an adverse effect on the 30,000 species of local flora and fauna, some of which are rare and on the verge of extinction. In recent times durables and consumables, FMCGs in multilayered plastic packaging, have reached most villages in the Himalayas.
Household products made of cloth, wood, leaves, bamboo, and other local materials are being replaced by cheaper plastic products and the heavy influx of tourists in rural areas and trekking routes influences locals to procure and sell packaged FMCGs, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles, and single-use plastics to meet the large demand generated by the tourism and hospitality sectors. This has led to widespread littering, dumping and burning of waste in and around tourist areas. Other reasons include the difficult terrain which increases the costs of daily operations and complicates transportation logistics to the nearest recycling factories and inadequate funding to meet the expenses in hilly areas due to the widely spread population and inhospitable terrain.
While improved SWM policies and regulations are in place, conventional methods of waste management are still prevalent across IHR. Strict implementation of revised SWM rules, civil awareness, community participation, good waste management practices, capacity building, and adoption of new and innovative technologies could be the way forward for improved SWM to achieve sustainable development of the IHR. Collaboration between local bodies and producers is essential with the potential for higher value EPR certificates in mountainous regions.
In conclusion, the IHR is a unique, stunning, delicate, eco-sensitive zone under threat from waste generated by inhabitants and tourists. The inadequate waste infrastructure, informal means of waste disposal, lack of proper implementation of SWM rules and civil awareness have increased environmental pollution and health risks to people and wildlife of the region. IHR state-specific strategies need be implemented, focusing on conservation and socio-economic development.
Compiled by Rajashri Ramakrishnan
