Committee recommends regulating tourist entry in Mussoorie to avert potential disaster

A joint committee, led by the chief secretary of Uttarakhand, has recommended regulating the number of tourists entering the hill town of Mussoorie to prevent a situation similar to the recent disaster in Joshimath. The committee's status report presented to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) highlighted the risks posed by unplanned urbanization and haphazard infrastructure development in Mussoorie, leading to building collapses and disasters during heavy rainfall and earthquakes.

The nine-member committee, which includes representatives from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, the Govind Ballabh Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, and the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee, suggested charging visitors a fee to manage garbage and maintain cleanliness in the region. It also recommended that the registration of visitors be based on the area's carrying capacity, particularly considering parking spaces and guest room availability.

The NGT took note of the Joshimath disaster during its hearing on January 31, where numerous residents were displaced and properties were damaged. The NGT attributed the disaster to the presence of unauthorized, oversized structures and reported sinking of the earth's surface due to the displacement of subsurface material.

To address these concerns, the committee proposed measures such as establishing an efficient drainage system, conducting engineering geological and geotechnical investigations as per BIS Codes for major construction projects, and adhering strictly to waste management regulations.

The NGT had previously ordered the Uttarakhand government to research Mussoorie's carrying capacity, given the apprehension of a Joshimath-like situation. The hill station is located in seismic zone IV-affected foothills of the Garhwal Himalayan range.

According to the committee's survey, the number of tourists in Mussoorie increased by approximately 255% over 20 years (from over 8.5 lakhs in 2000 to over 30 lakhs in 2019). However, there was a reversal trend in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

To manage new constructions in Mussoorie, the committee recommended adhering to the MDDA's building construction plan and bylaws, considering carrying capacity, and imposing specific controls on building height, slope percentage, drainage, and construction in freeze zones.

In January of this year, fractures appeared on several homes in Joshimath due to soil subsidence, with 868 buildings in the town's nine wards developing cracks, of which 181 were in dangerous areas. Joshimath, situated in a high-risk seismic Zone-V at an elevation of 6,000 feet in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, served as a cautionary example, prompting the committee's recommendations for Mussoorie's sustainable development and disaster prevention measures.