SRINAGAR: In a significant step to tackle the growing waste crisis at Kashmir’s tourist destinations, the Forest Department has ordered scientific carrying-capacity assessments of major tourist sites to determine how many visitors they can sustainably accommodate. The department has also mandated destination-specific solid waste management plans, anti-polythene check posts and Eco-Task Forces to curb plastic pollution and protect ecologically sensitive forest areas.
The measures form part of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Kashmir, for managing solid waste at tourist destinations located within or adjoining Reserve Forests. The SOP has been framed in response to rising tourist footfall, increasing plastic pollution and directions issued by the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on scientific waste management.
The department noted that many of Kashmir’s most visited tourist destinations are located within or close to Reserve Forests and receive hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, resulting in the accumulation of plastic bottles, food packaging, disposable cutlery and other non-biodegradable waste that threatens fragile ecosystems.
As part of the new strategy, the department will prepare comprehensive Eco-Tourism Master Plans for all major forest-based tourist destinations, integrating tourism development with ecological conservation. Central to these plans will be scientific carrying-capacity studies to establish the maximum number of visitors each site can sustain without causing environmental degradation.
The SOP proposes engaging institutions such as the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Indian Institutes of Management, and other reputed organisations to undertake the carrying-capacity studies and develop destination-specific management frameworks.
Each tourist destination will also be required to prepare a dedicated Solid Waste Management Plan covering waste generation, segregation, collection, transportation, processing and scientific disposal, while clearly defining the responsibilities of all agencies involved.
To reduce plastic pollution, Deputy Commissioners have been directed to prohibit the sale, storage, distribution and use of single-use plastic products in ecologically sensitive tourist destinations. Forest field officers have been instructed to strictly enforce the restrictions.
The SOP further provides for the establishment of anti-polythene check posts at all major entry points to eco-tourism destinations within forest areas. Vehicles entering these areas will be inspected to prevent prohibited plastic products from being carried inside, while visitors will be encouraged to use biodegradable and reusable alternatives.
For enforcement, the department has ordered the constitution of Eco-Task Forces comprising Foresters, Forest Guards and other field staff. These teams will inspect vendors, shops and eateries, seize prohibited plastic products wherever necessary, organise cleanliness drives and oversee implementation of waste management measures.
The SOP also mandates the installation of waste management infrastructure, including bear-resistant bins with separate compartments for biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste at parking areas, viewpoints, trekking routes, camping sites and other public places. Tourism Development Authorities and other agencies have been tasked with providing waste collection and transportation facilities, while pony operators and local service providers may be engaged to transport waste from remote locations.
The Forest Department has also been directed to coordinate with Urban Local Bodies and Municipal Committees to ensure collection, segregation, transportation and scientific disposal of waste in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, as part of an integrated effort to protect Kashmir’s forest-based tourist destinations from mounting waste and plastic pollution.
