SRINAGAR: Official figures submitted to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly show that locals account for the majority of visitor arrivals in Gurez, with 30,578 local visitors recorded in 2022 compared with 9,527 domestic tourists that year. In 2025, the pattern persists: 46,065 local visitors versus 8,610 domestic tourists, giving a total of 54,675 arrivals, according to the department’s reply.
The Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj told lawmakers that Gurez is “witnessing steady growth as a tourist destination” and emphasised that rising local visitation has placed new demands on the area’s waste management and sanitation systems. The reply notes that the department has invested in a package of municipal interventions intended to prevent environmental degradation and manage increased footfall.
The total number of tourists shows a steady increase except in 2025, when it halved after reaching a peak in 2024. In 2022, the total number of tourists was 40,105. In 2023, the number spiked to 48,797, comprising 14,522 domestic tourists and 34,275 local visitors. It rose to a total of 1,11,613 in 2024, comprising 25,829 domestic visitors and 85,784 local visitors. In 2025, the number fell to a total of 54,675.
Among the measures listed are the construction of community compost pits, community soakage pits and segregation sheds; installation of twin-pit dustbins at strategic locations along the banks of the Kishenganga river; and the establishment of a plastic waste management unit that is presently under construction. The department said door-to-door collection of solid waste is now carried out regularly and that the authorities have prioritised hygiene works in and around Dawar town, including durable community assets for collection and segregation.
Officials said the local administration has also installed twin-pit dustbins and is running awareness and sensitisation campaigns targeting residents, shopkeepers and hotel operators. The reply reiterated that dumping of garbage into the Kishenganga is “strictly prohibited” and asserted that no such practice is permitted by residents or commercial establishments.
