It is said that when the Islamic saint, Kashmir Sheikh ul Aalam Sheikh Noor din Noorani was praying to the gods for water, he pricked the ground with a stick and milk came out. Instead it was a powerful white river that flowed downstream from snow capped mountains, surrounded by vibrant deodar trees. This is Doodhpathri, or the Valley of Milk. A part of the Kashmari region, Doodhpathri gets its unique name from its milky white river rapids. The indigenous people of Doodhpathri (Gujars) reside in the Valley of Milk semiannually.
Doodhpathri is a rising tourism destination, drawing tourists with natural attractions such as the Shaliganga river, northwestern Himalayan mountains, and the Palmaidan valley. Nargis Suraya, Chief Executive Officer of Doodhpathri Development Authority reported that 2.812 million tourists visited Doodhpathri in 2023, more than 3 times as many in 2022 (843,599). However, the boom of tourism has posed a new challenge: how is this rise in tourism in Doodhpathri impacting the Gujars and the environment?
For centuries the Gujars have lived in this region. The Gujars rely on the land to fuel their goats and sheeps they herd, as well as to participate in subsistence farming. Since their way of life is semi-nomadic, due to herding cattle, they rely on lush grazing fields throughout the year. Despite the risks of both the health of themselves and the environment such as water quality deterioration due to pollution and an influx of garbage creation, they support tourism. Researchers at the Department of Geography and Disaster Management, University of Kashmir decided to find out why.
Their study analyzed the Gujars’s attitudes and perceptions of tourism development. 344 Gujars of Doodhpathri were asked 19 questions about their opinions of tourism in the Doodhpathri region. Questions included their opinions on tourism developments impact on their job opportunities, the culture, subsistence farming, and the environment. The results were categorized in five parts: socio-cultural, environmental, life quality effects, overcrowding impacts and economic impacts.
In Doodhpathri, 60% of Gujars engage in forms of subsistence practices, such as farming and raising livestock. Tourism accounts for almost 7% of the total GDP of both the Kashmir and Jammu Region (which includes Doodhpathri). The Gujars also overall have a positive sentiment on the economic impacts of tourism — including to the demand for labor, the increase of job opportunities, and the increase in household income of the Gujars.
The Gujars do not believe tourism impacted the quiet life of their area. Instead, the survey reveals, the Gujars agreed that tourism improved the image of Doodhpathri, and generally see tourism as a helpful contribution to Doodhpathri. Similarly, Gujars positively perceived both life quality and overcrowding impact. This means the Gujars see more benefits to increasing visitors to the region as their own standard of living benefits, such as the construction of new facilities they can utilize.
The main issue the Kashmir region faces is that it is an ecologically fragile area. In 2024, Doodhpathri experienced a rise in tourism to the region, in which accommodations in Doodhpathri were packed with tourists. After the repeal of Article 370 in 2023, Doodhpathri’s environment has been plagued with unregulated tourism to the region. Unregulated leads to an increase in solid waste pollutants such as plastic and glass, sewage, deforestation due to commercial forestry, logging, unregulated infrastructure development, and loss of animal habitat.
Researchers warn that Doodhpathri unique mountain systems are “susceptible to climate change.” The research article further explains how the Himalaya’s glacier and mountain ecosystems can have cascading impacts on environments downstream. Environmental degradation in the Himalayas is directly linked with the rise of tourism, as development of tourism sectors and activities, and desire for economic prosperity in the region puts increased pressure on the population of Doodhpathri. Specifically, according to researchers, In Kashmir the deterioration of water sources was primarily contributed by the unplanned tourism in the region (partially due to Article 370’s repeal). That milky river transforms from pure unbridled nature to a tourist photo-op, where trash and pollutants are littered around it. Dal Lake, also suffers the same fate, which has been severely mismanaged and protected as tourism has not been regulated.
What did worry the Gujars was tourism’s impact on their environment they have relied on for centuries. Gujars had an overall negative perception of the environmental impacts of tourism on Doodhpathri. This includes the destruction of agricultural lands, water quality deterioration and waste (solid and liquid) generation. As tourism increases in the region, so does the need for infrastructure and facilities. Meaning commercial forestry and construction of facilities in Doodhpathri will increase, harming the grazing lands the Gujars rely on for their cattle.
Despite these concerns, the Gujars favor tourism development in Doodhpathri. The study revealed that “ most residents believed tourism should be actively developed and were in favor of additional tourism facilities so that more tourists would come to this destination.” The Gujars are acutely aware of their fragile ecosystem, tourism’s impact on the environment, their water quality, and the amount of waste that tourism produces. The results also show that the Gujars agree that tourism is a significant benefit to the community, economically, doesn’t negatively affect their culture, life quality and does not create overcrowding issues.
A double edged sword is evident in this case study, showing that while socio-cultural and economic impacts of tourism development are positive, it is evident that the environmental impacts negatively impact the indigenous populations. Researchers even discuss this complex relationship as the Gujars believe their quality of life would improve with the construction of recreational facilities, infrastructure, and public services, but place the Doodhpathri region on thin ice environmentally, as waste, forest reduction and water pollution may increase.
Overall the Gujars’s positive sentiment for tourism development despite the overall negative sentiment on environmental impacts illustrates why the researchers acknowledge the use of this study for environmental policy makers. With a sustainable development approach, Doodhpathri can create longevity both environmentally and in the tourism sector in the region. It is important to acknowledge sustainable development is likely to be more effective with Gujars involvement. With the implementation of waste management programs, resource conservation and environmental education, tourism to Doodhpahtri could both generate higher income and quality of life for Gujars and minimize the environmental degradation of the region.