Issues in Hill stations | Kodaikanal Hills

Context (TH): Kodaikanal Hills are facing degradation due to rampant tourism.
It derives its name from two Tamil words: Kodai, meaning “gift,“ and kanal, meaning “forest,“ which translates to “gift of the forest.“
Location: Palani Hills of the Western Ghats (Dindigul, Tamil Nadu).

It is a popular tourist destination, the “Princess of Hill stations” and a “Sky Island”
It is a plateau at an elevation of 2225 meters, housing man-made Kodaikanal Lake at its heart.

Sky islands are isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments.
Originally used for the Mexican Plateau, it has extended to similarly isolated high-elevation forests.
The shola forests in the Western Ghats form one of the ‘sky-island’ systems of the world.

Issues haunting Hill stations in India

Overcrowding: Rising temperatures in plains, revenge tourism, and easier connectivity have contributed to exceeding these destinations’ carrying capacity.
Degradation of the fragile ecosystem: Hill Stations have high endemism and a very fragile ecosystem that is on the brink of fallout.
Vulnerability to disasters: Disastrous landslides, avalanches, and flash floods are increasing.
Tourism-centric development: With Multi-floor buildings, mass tourism ventures, and artificial beautification projects, the entire economy of such hill stations lacks real development.
Unregulated tourism is amplified by narrow, winding roads up steep inclines, poor infrastructure, limited medical care, and negligible parking space.
Water and sanitation issues: High footfall highlights other issues associated with excessive tourism, such as sewage, sanitation, and acute water shortages.

Poor Waste Management System: On an average day, 20 metric tonnes of unsegregated waste is dumped at dump sites near reserve forests.
Mushrooming of Homestays: Tamil Nadu Tourism’s 2022 guidelines for homestays and B&Bs (bed and breakfasts) have led to a surge in the Nilgiris.
Lack of ban on plastic: Kodaikanal, unlike many other hill stations, doesn’t enforce a ban on single-use plastic, leaving behind a heap of it.
Loss of sholas: In the last 40 years, Palani Hills, which runs through Tamil Nadu and Kerala, has lost around 80% of its grasslands and shola forests due to invasive species and deforestation caused due to agriculture and tourism.

The release of the hit Malayalam film Manjummel Boys (2024) has led to a surge of tourists to Kodaikanal and the Guna caves in particular.

Initially named the Devil’s Kitchen (by British officer B. S. Ward in 1821).
Named “Guna” Caves after it was featured in the 1991 film Gunaa.
Mysterious instances of people disappearing have gained popularity.

Carrying capacity assessments: Quantification of the carrying capacity of fragile ecosystems is a must to estimate the ecosystem’s sustainability.

It indicates the maximum number of visitors to a destination at a given time with the least damage to the environment and cultural landscape.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change in 2023 requested the Supreme Court to direct Himalayan States to assess the ‘carrying capacities’ in such fragile ecosystems.
Earlier, in 2018, the National Green Tribunal had directed the Union Ministry of Urban Development and Union Environment Ministry to undertake similar studies in all States and Union Territories.
However, only Aizawl in Mizoram has completed a carrying capacity study.
Madras High Court has now recommended similar carrying capacity studies for the hill stations of Udhagamandalam (Ooty) and Kodaikanal in South India.

Restricting number of tourists: Inflow must be capped at a sustainable level, using means like e-pass.
Responsible tourism: Tourism needs to be “responsible” and in line with the Mission LiFE, such as the Swachhata Green Leaf Rating (SGLR) initiative and Sustainable tourism plan.