Revision summary
Western Himalayan slopes have a low natural carrying capacity. Mass pilgrimage and leisure tourism add vehicles, hotels, sewage, and floodway building. Kedarnath 2013 showed the cost of infrastructure in harm’s way. Hydropower, roads, and climate change also push the same limit. The claim is largely true for many valleys, but incomplete if tourism is blamed alone.
Model answer
Flow diagram
flowchart TD T[Mass hill tourism] --> L[Waste water slope load] H[Hydel highways defence] --> L C[Climate extremes] --> L L --> K[Carrying capacity stress] R[Caps sewage land-use law] --> K
Conclusion
- Set valley-wise visitor and vehicle caps, ban building on floodways, treat sewage before the river, and share revenue with villages. Carrying capacity is a planning number, not a slogan against all guests.
These three hill states are near ecological limits in many valleys, and mass tourism is a clear reason. The claim is still only partly true: hydropower, roads, climate, and weak regulation share the damage. The fair evaluation is that tourism has pushed several landscapes past a safe load, but it is one driver among several, and the answer is regulated access, not a myth that the hills would be safe without visitors.
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Students also ask
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How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing landscape? Discuss.
Next question in the 2015 paper (Q18). View answer →
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Should tourism be banned in these states?
A total ban would crush livelihoods. Caps, better siting, and sewage are the critical path.
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Is tourism the only ecological threat?
No. Roads, hydel, mining, sprawl, and climate extremes share the stress.
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