Shillong: Amid the increasing tourist footfall in Meghalaya, striking a balance between ecology and economy has become a major poll issue in Sohra, earlier known as Cherrapunjee, one of the wettest places in the world. With elections just days away, the issue has become a hot topic in Sohra, where tourist footfall has increased manifold in the last few years, prompting the locals of the area to raise alarm for the protection of ecology of the place.
The issue has been raised by all the candidates while campaigning for the February 27 polls. Votes will be counted on March 2.
"We are worried that this kind of mass tourism will spoil the environment. We have many sensitive natural caves, crystal clear rivers, natural springs, and root bridges. Sohra should be known as an eco-destination and there should be a separate tourism policy for the place to restrict the visitors' footfall," Alan West, Nationalist People’s Party (NPP) candidate from the constituency, told ABP Live.
According to official data, the tourist footfall in Sohra in 2022 was around 15.7 lakh, which included over 25,000 foreigners. The footfall has grown rapidly over the last year as Covid-19 pandemic restrictions were eased. The annual tourist footfall is likely to cross 17 lakh by 2024.
Though the steep rise in the arrival of tourists has boosted the rural economy of the place, it has also bought its share of problems.
One such problem is the scarcity of water during the winter season. Despite being one of the wettest places on the earth, Sohra faces an acute shortage of water during this time of the year. As Sohra is located on a plateau, the rainwater goes down to Bangladesh.
Congress candidate Lakyntiew Sohkhlet said the emphasis should be on eco and wellness tourism. "Theme-specific development of tourism will sustain the industry and provide growth and employment," she told ABP Live.
Notably, Meghalaya's new tourism policy also flags the issue.
According to the Meghalaya draft tourism policy 2022, a higher flow of tourists may not likely translate to increased spending in the state.
However, laying stress on high-value tourists may lead to more consumption in the state without having a direct adverse impact on the environment of the state, the policy states.
The draft tourism policy also says that increasing footfall will no longer be the only metric for assessing the growth of tourism in the state. The policy will also assess the average amount and nights spent by tourists in the state.
(The author is a senior journalist covering the Northeast.)