The tragic incident of nine trekkers from Karnataka dying while returning from a trek to Sahastra Tal in Uttarkashi earlier this week should be a wakeup call to set stringent prerequisites and rules for mountaineering agencies across India to conduct treks. The group—comprising 19 trekkers aged 34 to 71 and three guides—faced a severe blizzard on the way back. The group was on a nine-day package starting May 30, and the trek to Sahastra Tal was slated for June 3. While returning to Lambtal camp, the group was hit by a severe blizzard and got stranded. Most of the nine deceased are feared to have died from hypothermia between June 3 evening and the next morning. The rest 13 were rescued.
The Karnataka Mountaineering Association, in charge of this trek, had taken permission from the Uttarakhand forest department, but had not followed the norm of getting a nod for a trek to Sahastra Tal from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), the national regulatory body for mountaineering and allied sports affiliated to the International Federation of Sport Climbing. The IMF is engaged in protection work and creating awareness about the Indian Himalayas. Let alone granting permission, the IMF reportedly was not even informed about this group trekking in the area near the 4,560-metre-high lake.
Over the last seven years, nearly 200 people have died during mountaineering and trekking expeditions in the Indian Himalayas, according to IMF estimates. In October 2022, 25 people from a premier climbing institution, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarakhand, died in an avalanche during the Draupadi Ka Danda trek despite being under the care of seven seasoned instructors.
With the popularity of adventure tourism on the rise, several private operators have jumped in recent years. They at times have compromised safety regulations, leaving trekkers vulnerable to climate change-induced erratic weather. Besides, due to a lack of proper regulation, popular trekking routes are being defiled by trekkers carelessly dumping garbage. According to the IMF, the tourism ministry has been formulating a dedicated adventure tourism policy to put in place some stringent rules. This needs to be fast-tracked by the new government to prevent a repeat of the June 3 tragedy.