For years, the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh existed on maps but it could be safe to say that it did not really exist in the minds of people from other parts of the country. Over the years, trends have changed, and this part of the country is now being explored in the name of tourism.
This state, the largest among all the northeastern states, has recorded an increase in tourist footfall since 2015. It is now popular for its natural beauty which includes scenic hills and valleys, landscapes that turn white with snow during winter, prominent monasteries, unfamiliar passes and lakes at high altitudes.
For travel enthusiasts, there are many places in the state worth visiting. One such is Tawang, and it witnesses a large number of tourists every year. But there are other places, like Sangti Valley, near Dirang on the Bomdila-Tawang highway in the West Kameng district, that are emerging as tourist hotspots.
Sangti, a quaint valley about eight km from the Dirang market, is nestled in the eastern Himalayan ranges. It is covered with dense forests and dotted with fruit orchards. Standing in the valley, you would see the enormous mountains on one side and the gushing Sangti River on the other. The silence is broken only by the river flowing by.
The valley is also known as one of the only two winter homes of the endangered black-necked cranes in India, the other being Zemithang in the Pangchen Valley of Tawang district.
Heaven, no more?
Having opened up to tourism, the Sangti Valley has been facing several problems. The primary problem is the disposal of waste. With the growing number of visitors, waste has also increased, but there is no proper waste disposal mechanism.
Devraj Barooah, a founding members of Chalo Hoppo, of a kind travel company based in the north-east believes in alternative accommodations and consciously crafts local experiences, said: “Legitimate waste management systems need to be set up for the valley. Once these systems are up, then we can work towards making them more efficient.”
The inhabitants of Sangti Valley, who have been sheltered from the negative effects of tourism, are not yet ready to combat pollution.
“An efficient system can be enforced by the villagers once they learn and understand the threats of continuing to do what they have been doing with their waste. Another aspect is the flow of tourism and the pollution they bring with them. This too can be controlled once there is genuine understanding between the local people and village authorities,” says Devraj Barooah, a founding member of ChaloHoppo, a travel company.
The local people complain that tourists litter the place with packaging waste and leftover food. The amount of plastic lying around on the banks of the river is an eyesore.
Winter destination
Passang Tsering Sharchokta, from Sangti Valley who is also a guide for bird watchers says, “These cranes have lost their habitats. This year, none of them has come. Last year, I spotted around three.”
The black-necked cranes have been classified as “vulnerable” in the list of endangered species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Usually they arrive towards the end of November from Tibet and leave in February or March.
Since the 1950s, this vast open valley situated at a high altitude was an ideal winter ground for the birds. They would roost in the middle of the river or on its sandy banks.
According to the International Crane Foundation, the real threats they face are due to “habitat loss and degradation related to climate change, changes in agriculture practices, pollution and environmental contamination.”
Let’s clean up
ChaloHoppo aided by the Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Department, organised a clean-up at Sangti Valley recently, to raise awareness among tourists and locals who use the river as a dustbin.
They also conducted a workshop on waste for the students of Assam Valley School, Tezpur (Stds. VI and VII), and the locals. The children made an installation of a black-necked crane with waste to create awareness. The clean-up drive also gave children a chance to understand the need for a pollution-free environment.
