DEHRADUN: Choppers flying pilgrims on a tour of four holy sites (Char Dham Yatra) of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath is having an adverse impact on school children and the environment, claim experts.
The helicopters make more than 25 trips an hour between Kedarghati and Kedarnath. Experts say these chopper trips are not good for the wildlife and also for the Himalayas. They recalled the 2013 cloudburst centered on Uttarakhand which caused devastating floods and landslides.
Situated at an altitude of 11,750 feet above sea level, Kedarnath Dham is surrounded by hills on three sides.
This pilgrim season, seven aviation companies are involved in ferrying passengers to Kedarnath. The Kedarghati to Kedarnath route is like a two-sided V-shaped narrow valley, which is susceptible.
Prof Rakesh Kumar Maikhuri, head of the Department of Environmental Sciences at Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Central University, told The New Indian Express that children's education and environment are adversely affected due to the choppers flying below the prescribed standard altitude in Kedarghati. The DGCA norms prescribe that flights should be operated above 600 meters from the ground, say reports.
Prof Maikhuri, who studied the impact of helicopter flights in Sirsi, Ravigram and Rampur villages said "The roar of the helicopter distracts the animals. This affects their milking volume process due to changes in their behaviour".
"Being a native of the area, I also found in my study that the sound of the choppers has changed the behaviour of pets in villages within a one-kilometre radius of the helipad. Other wild animals including horses and deer living in the wildlife area between Rambada and Kedarnath are disturbed by the sound. This was confirmed by the 'stool samples' of wild animals in the investigation. The government was warned thereafter in this regard, but no action has been taken", Maikhuri said.
"During the study, we sought the views of children, parents and teachers of schools in that area, which showed that chopper flights have had a very adverse impact on the academic environment as well," he added.
Prof Maikhuri said that between 2005 and 2012, he had released a report on the helicopters being operated for Kedarnath, in which he clearly pointed out, "Helicopters flying in Kedarnath are causing problems to the people even in the populated area of Kedarghati."
"Environmentalist Jagat Singh 'Junglee' said the carbon that a helicopter emits during its flight has a big impact on the environment. The distance from Kedarnath to Chaurabari Tal is only four km, while the air distance is quite short. In such a situation, the impact of the loud sound of the helicopter in the glacier area cannot be ruled out.
