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VOL. 7, ISSUE 1 (2025)
Plastic pollution: Effect of tourist arrival, status and management in Himachal Pradesh
Authors
Dr. Diljeet Singh
Abstract
The tourist places of Himachal Pradesh attract
tourists for beautiful landscapes, calm environment, adventurous activities,
temples, historical buildings and cultural activities etc. These places have
become loaded with plastic waste due to the increasing number of tourists
during the past few years. The sources of pollution are plastic made articles
for frequent human use such as disposable wrappings, coverings, bags, cups,
bottles and others. During the last 16 years (2008 to 2023), the influx of
tourists has increased from 97.49 Lakh (2008) to 1.9601 Crore (2017) and 1.6004
Crore (2023) in Himachal Pradesh. The estimated plastic waste generation during
the last 10 years (2011-12 to 2022-23) in Himachal Pradesh (10 districts) has
increased from 202.67 Tonnes per Annum (2011-12) to 14093.559 Tonnes per Annum
(2022-23). The total quantity of estimated plastic waste generation during the
last 5 years (2017-18 to 2022-23) in Himachal Pradesh has been reported to be
47541.021 Tonnes and in district-wise manner (10 districts) found to be highest
in district Shimla (14570.108 Tonnes) and lowest in district Bilaspur (708.796
Tonnes). According to the Himachal State Environment Plan (2024), the estimated
plastic/ dry waste generation per day under 60 ULB’s (10 districts) of Himachal
Pradesh has been found to be 145.98 Tonnes. Further, Aryabhatta Geoinformatics
and Space Applications Centre with the help of satellite imagery has identified
70 plastic waste dump sites in 10 districts of Himachal Pradesh (2023). The
Himachal Pradesh Government has implemented various laws and policies for
control of plastic pollution: Himachal Pradesh Nonbiodegradable Garbage
(Control) Act, 1995; Himachal Government Novel Scheme for Plastic Waste
Management, 2009; Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2016 and
Amendments upto 2024; Himachal Government Non-recyclable and Single Use Plastic
Waste Buy Back Policy, 2019; and Himachal Pradesh Revised Eco-tourism Policy,
2024. The present study concludes that the causes of plastic pollution are an
increasing number of tourists every year, lack of awareness among the public
for proper disposal of wastes, mismanagement of handling wastes and lack of
strict enforcement of pollution control laws in the state.
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Pages:46-53
How to cite this article:
Dr. Diljeet Singh "Plastic pollution: Effect of tourist arrival, status and management in Himachal Pradesh". International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Vol 7, Issue 1, 2025, Pages 46-53
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