Trash Trail to Lahaul: From Atal Tunnel to Keylong, Plastic Rules the Road
Shimla/Keylong—
As thousands of tourists pour into Lahaul through the Atal Tunnel, they leave behind more than just Instagram stories — they’re dumping garbage across the ecologically fragile slopes of this high land Himalayan valley.
From Koksar and Sissu to Keylong, Jispa, and Darcha, it’s a plastic trail of shame.
“Irrigation canals are choked, water can’t reach the fields.
Garbage floats in with the glacier melt, clogs everything, and ends up in the Bhaga River,” says Nawang Upasak, former panchayat head and tribal advisory committee member from Lower Keylong.
At Keylong, the district headquarters, heaps of garbage lie rotting near the police lines. Locals say the situation is out of control.
“There’s no dustbin, no wire fencing to stop the trash from flowing downhill. We need basic waste control — is that too much to ask?”
Where’s the green fee going?
The district charges tourists a “green fee” — but locals and homestay owners ask, green where?
“We pay taxes, tourists pay fees — but the garbage is still lying everywhere. Where’s the system?”
Plastic is seen floating in the irrigation water, entering the rivers, and flowing down with the Bhaga into the Chandra-Bhaga (Chenab).
The mess from the north portal of the Atal Tunnel, Koksar, Sissu and tourist hot spots like Shashan and Jispa, Darsha, Bara La Cha is all ending up in our rivers.
Locals say the solid waste is supposed to be shifted to Manali for treatment — but is anyone actually checking?
High court rules, but who cares?
The Himachal High Court has laid down rules for panchayats and municipal councils. Even MLAs are supposed to monitor plastic waste handling.
But on the ground, it’s open season for dumping. “No one’s watching.
Not the panchayat, not the MLA, not even the district officials. The rivers are taking the hit,” says a local hotelier.
DC’s all-women team faces Himalayan test
Lahaul’s Deputy Commissioner Kiran Bhandana leads an all-women administration team — and this is their biggest challenge yet: can they clean up this mess before the season peak?
With every passing day, the trash trail gets longer, and the image of this pristine valley gets uglier.
> Welcome to Lahaul — where tourists bring cameras, and leave behind chaos.
#TrashTrailHimalayas #EcoDisasterInLahaul #WhereIsGreenFeeGoing #CleanUpOurMountains
