An environmental relief for Pangong Lake?

The high court has come to rescue the environment once again! Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh has seen mushrooming of camps and hotels with little to no regard for solid waste management, water management or effluent management.

The post ‘3 Idiots’ and Instagram age has to lead to uncontrolled mass tourism in Ladakh and the results are very visible when you visit Ladakh now as compared to 10 years back.

Trash that every tourist leaves behind (think of hot Maggie that comes out of plastic wrappers, cool drinks, Lays packets, etc.) has a huge impact on the already fragile ecosystem. These high altitude lakes have not seen such levels of abuse before.

A lot has already been said in one of our articles on Ladakh: An environmental disaster in the making? so I will not repeat the same stuff.

Did you know that Pangong Lake is home to around 90 birds? Check out the citizen science eBird website where bird enthusiasts have recorded their bird observations at the Pangong Lake over the years.

High Court orders to remove camps & other structures from Pangong Lake

The court’s direction may prove as a relief to the environment when Ladakh is battling with a huge influx of tourists and its associated problems without any control whatsoever.

Chadar trek is suffering all sought of problems already as a result of unlimited trekking agencies flooding the space.

We only hope the state administration takes into consideration all the ecosystems it supports and conserves this pristine lake for generations to come! The locals should get respite from the order with legal setups though as it is their livelihood.

Maybe next time when you visit Pangong or any Himalayan region, please try to have a lesser ecological footprint. Bring your trash back with you where it can be safely disposed of/recycled to decrease the plastic waste.

You should always carry your water bottle for refilling to reduce this plastic waste. It will not only keep you hydrated always but will also help in saving the Himalayas from plastic garbage. Please remember, every action however small, makes a lasting impact on our environment!

The honorable court has also ordered to seal even the illegal bore wells and hand pumps being operated without permission.

Here is the full excerpt from the full news article of this structure removal from Pangong Tso lake:

The High Court has directed the Leh district administration to remove all structures around the Pangong Lake. 

A bench of Justice Tashi Rabstan also directed the administration to take up the issue of shifting of the structures erected by army around the lake to any other area. 

The direction came after the court observed that the administration is required to take well planned, sustainable and scientific steps to prevent degradation or ultimate death of the lake.

“Not only this, a scheme/policy is also important to be formulated by the state government, if not already formulated, for preservation and conservation of Pangong Lake,” the court said. 

External Source Link: Leh administration asked to remove all structures around Pangong Lake.