Scientists warn: tourism may take a toll on the environment, there is a danger of rapid melting of glaciers due to vehicle pollution

Himachal Pradesh’s tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti may have covered a thick sheet of snow up to 8 feet due to snowfall in December, but the black carbon of large number of vehicles coming in has increased the risk of rapid melting of hundreds of year old glaciers. . Scientists claim that tourism should not be heavy on the environment. Scientists believe that if such an increase in the movement of vehicles through the Atal Tunnel continues even in the winter season, then the environment of the valley will see more changes than expected in the future. Powder snow used to fall in many areas of the valley in December, but this time it is raining. According to environmental scientists, after the month of November, the area where vehicular movement used to be zero, but today after the construction of the Atal Tunnel, thousands of vehicles are entering the valley every day. This may be beneficial from the point of view of tourism, but is not good for the sensitive ecological balance of the valley. The amount of allosol in the environment is increasing due to air pollution Dr. Jagdish Chand Kuniyal, Principal Scientist, Center for Environmental Assessment and Climate Change says that due to the huge amount of air pollution due to the movement of vehicles over the limit, the amount of aerosols in the environment has started increasing. Due to this black carbon is also increasing in the environment. It is not possible to control the temperature in the valley due to lack of vegetation. This could prove to be fatal for the entire region in the times to come. The increase in the amount of carbon in such an area increases the heat observing power. This will certainly increase the rate of melting of glaciers that are hundreds of years old. 4 to 5 thousand vehicles are entering the valley daily According to the data of Lahaul-Spiti Police, after the opening of the Atal Tunnel, on an average, more than 4 to 5 thousand vehicles are entering the valley every day. So far, a record more than six thousand vehicles have arrived in a day. People equal to the population of Lahaul are traveling in these vehicles. In the last two months, more than two lakh vehicles have crossed the Atal Tunnel.