VISIT LADAKH —» Trekking in Ladakh » Minimum Impact Trekking » Environmental Impact

Environmental Impact

Litter
Litter is a very recent problem in Ladakh. It is only since the arrival of nonbiodegradable consumer items from India and the rest of the world that the concept of litter has begun to take hold. Before, everything was made from biodegradable materials or continuously recycled, there was no waste. Today, however, it is a serious problem both in Leh and on the major trekking routes. In the latter case it is only the trekkers who are to blame as most locals cannot afford the luxury of consumer products. Streamers of used lavatory paper and piles of tin cans, plastic bags and containers at every camp-site are a sad reflection on people who would undoubtedly call themselves mountain lovers. The solution is simple and summed up in the often used phrase, 'pack it in, pack it out' . If consumer products are brought into the mountains by you, or for you (via a shoplhotel or by your trekking company), it is your responsibility to take any resulting litter back out with you.

The problem in Leh is immediately obvious to the visitor who can't avoid the litter that lies in the streets, but unfortunately there is no easy solution. Leh has no proper infrastructure to cope with litter. While there are litter bins situated around the town which many tourists diligently use, there are few appropriate places for its disposal after that. The facilities that are available are hopelessly inadequate as litter left in heaps is soon scattered far and wide by scavenging dogs and the wind, while the incinerators pump toxic fumes into the atmosphere. Steps are being taken to improve the situation, one of the most effective being the banning of polythene bags from the town. Goods are now sold in paper bags rather than plastic and this has already had a noticeable effect on the cleanliness of Leh.

• Don't leave litter - When trekking it is a simple matter to bring along an extra bag in which to put all non-organic litter. This applies equally to those trekking with ponies and to those backpacking. You can significantly cut down the amount of potential waste you bring into the mountains by repacking items to avoid unnecessary packaging. Picking up other people's litter is very helpful and sets a good example to others. Burning litter is frequently claimed to solve the problem, but many items do not burn properly and the fire leaves unsightly scars on the ground. It is far better to get into the habit of taking all non-organic waste out with you. If you are trekking with an organised group it is your responsibility to ensure that the crew dispose of the litter properly and that it isn't simply buried or left. Don't just imagine that waste will biodegrade; although most organic material will break down quite quickly, other biodegradable waste can take years to break down in this cold, dry climate. Also, don't assume that you can leave litter in villages; while much of it may be recycled they don't have any facilities to deal with the rest.
Having advocated bringing all your litter back to Leh, you then have to decide what to do with it there. However, it is far better to have it concentrated in one place where there is a chance that it will be dealt with properly than left in the mountains where it will remain for generations to come. More pressure is coming to bear on Leh's authorities and it is likely that proper litter disposal systems will be introduced soon. In the meantime all you can do is try to keep your consumption of packaged goods to a minimum, reuse as much as possible and dispose of any litter in the bins provided.

• Burn used lavatory paper - On the trail, if you can't get used to the water-and-left-hand method make sure you burn all the 100 paper that you use. Keep a cigarette lighter or some matches in the same plastic bag as the 100 paper specifically for this purpose. 'Used 100 paper bums easily and there is no excuse for the 'pink flowers' of paper that decorate the trails. Not only is it unsightly, but unhygienic as well, especially when it's blown around camp-sites and into water sources.

• Pack out used tampons/sanitary towels - Tampons/sanitary towels should be packed out as they are almost impossible to bum completely at high altitude. Condoms should also be disposed of in this way.

• Avoid bottled mineral water - Mineral water is sold widely in India and Ladakh in non-returnable, non-biodegradable plastic bottles. As there are several other ways to make ordinary tap water safe to drink (see p271), it is unnecessary to add to the litter problem by buying mineral water. If you treat the water yourself you not only save money (Rs15-20 a litre), but you can be absolutely sure that the water you are drinking is safe (the seals on plastic bottles are not 100% tamper-proof). A forward-thinking business in Leh, called Dzomsa; sells safe pressure-boiled water for Rs7 per litre directly into
your water bottle, or in re-used bottles.

• Dispose of used batteries outside India - Most places in India have no safe means of disposing of batteries, the contents of which are highly toxic. Discarded batteries end up polluting the soil and water, or even as children's playthings. Pack batteries out for disposal in the West.

Water
• Don't pollute water sources - If you are bathing, washing clothes or washing up in a stream, make sure you do so downstream of any houses. If you want to use soap or shampoo (is it really necessary in the mountains?), fill a container (collapsible buckets available in outdoor shops are ideal) and wash away from the stream, pouring the waste water onto the ground far away from the water source. The need to wash clothes with soap can be minirnised by rinsing them in a stream daily. The hot sun will make sure that they dry rapidly, but modem synthetic fibres can quite comfortably be wrung out and worn damp if it's not too cold. There is never any need to use soap or washing up liquid for cleaning pots and pans, as a good wire scrubber, or failing that, a handful of small pebbles, will get any pan sparkling in no time.

Defecating in the mountains is an art, one that is well worth getting good at for your sake and everyone else's. Not only is faeces unpleasant to our senses but more importantly, faecal contamination is one of the main ways of spreading disease. Faecal matter takes at least one year to disappear in good conditions (ie damp soil with active organic material in a temperate climate) but these good conditions are rarely found in Ladakh's mountains evidence of your passing will be around for some time.
First you need to find a good site, far enough away from water sources to stop faeces being washed into the water by surface runoff caused by rain or snow-melt; this usually means at least 50m/150ft. It also needs to be above any area that is likely to receive flooding, so that secluded dry river bed is no good! Head for high ground. Dig a small hole with the heel of your boot or a convenient stone; 15-20cm (six to eight inches) is ideal as this is the most active part of the soil. Afterwards cover in the hole and if possible mix some of the soil in with the faeces to speed decomposition. Don't (orget to bum your 100 paper - see it as your homage to the mountain gods! This whole rigmarole is made considerably easier on some of the popular treks where the villagers have built traditional composting toilets specifically for the hundreds of trekkers passing through each year - please use them. For more information on this lost art, get hold of Kathleen Meyer's How to Shit in the Woods which explains some lesser known techniques which are particularly applicable to Ladakh. 'Frosting a rock' for instance, is suitable for rarely visited regions of Ladakh where spreading your faeces thinly onto a rock to bake in the intense sun and blow away on the wind is far more efficient and hygienic than burying it where there is little or no active soil. Another method which is particularly pertinent to large groups and high-use areas is 'packing it out' . . .

• ladakhi loos - Ladakh's traditional composting toilets are ideally suited to the environment and their use should be encouraged. No water is used (or wasted), the smell is negligible because of the dry climate and the end product is one of the best fertilisers around for organic agriculture. In rural areas the process saves animal faeces which, when dry, can be used more efficiently for fuel, essential in a region with hardly any wood. When using a Ladakhi toilet, usually situated upstairs and on the north side of a Ladakhi house, don't use water and remember to shovel down some earth or ash (there's normally a pile in a comer) when you've finished; this stops the smell and discourages flies. Don't throw tampons, sanitary towels, condoms etc down the hole.

Unfortunately, many guest-houses in Leh are being encouraged by government incentives to introduce flush toilets purely to please visitors. These are having disastrous effects on the local environment. First, they are using up extremely valuable fresh water supplies and second, Leh has no sewage system to deal with the waste that is produced. Instead, the groundwater supplies and the streams are becoming heavily contaminated because of poorly constructed and poorly maintained drains and septic tanks. Even if sewage-treatment works could be built and there was enough water, polluting chemicals would have to be introduced into the systems and the lavatories would still be useless in winter when they freeze over. Various local organisations have tried to make guest-house owners aware of the problem but have met with little success because the owners believe that Western loos are essential to attract guests. Therefore it is up to travellers to make them aware that you would prefer traditional toilets rather than Western-style ones. If your guest-house has a choice between a flush system and a dry toilet, please use the latter. After all, most trekkers are quite happy without flush toilets in the mountains and surely you didn't corne to Ladakh to be comforted by Western 'luxuries'.

Erosion and vegetation depletion
The lack of vegetation, the gradual growth of the Himalaya by several millimetres per year; the searing heat of summer and freezing conditions of winter all combine to give the mountains of Ladakh a high rate of denudation. Although your actions may seem minuscule in comparison to these natural processes, when they are multiplied by several thousand trekkers each year they become rather more significant.

• Stay on the main trail - Avoid taking shortcuts on steep sections of trail: your footsteps will be followed by many others. If you happen to damage walls or irrigation channels make sure you repair them as someone's livelihood may be at stake.

• Travel light - By travelling light you can use fewer pack animals which minimises the amount of erosion you cause and reduces the grazing on valuable mountain pastures. All villages have rights over designated pastures and the use of that land by others is not allowed. An exception has traditionally been made for travellers. Unfortunately this generosity has been abused in the popular trekking areas by unnecessarily large trekking groups whose horses put too much pressure on this scant resource.

• Don't damage plants - Leave plants alone so that they can be enjoyed by other passers-by. You won't get through Customs with a rare Himalayan specimen so don't try. Take care where you tread so that you don't disrupt fragile high-altitude ecosystems.

• Don't light open fires - Wood is a scarce resource so don't use any for making fires. You should always bring a stove and enough kerosene to cook on and remember that a camp-fire is a selfish luxury. Fires create ugly scars on the ground that take years to fade away. While locals may well use animal-dung fires to cook on, trekkers should not copy them as the fuel is a valuable resource for other travellers and villagers.

• No hot running water please! Many of Leh's guest-houses now have hot running water. A few heat the water by solar panels and this should be encouraged, but most use highly inefficient wood-fuelled boilers. Very little of this wood comes from Ladakh but is instead transported at great environmental and financial cost from mostly unsustainable forests in Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. The cheaper guest-houses take a far more environmentally-friendly approach by heating one bucket of water at a time, usually when the stove is being used for cooking anyway. A bucketful of water is ample for a good wash.

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