From pristine to polluted: Bir-Billing chokes under garbage crisis amid official apathy
The picturesque tourist destination of Bir-Billing, renowned globally as one of the top 10 paragliding sites, is grappling with a worsening garbage crisis that has persisted for the past three months. Once a clean and serene spot in Himachal Pradesh, the area now faces large-scale environmental degradation due to the absence of a proper waste disposal system.
Until recently, the Bir Hotel Association had been managing door-to-door garbage collection on its own, without any assistance from the state government. However, citing a lack of resources and mounting financial challenges, the association has now discontinued the service — leaving streets, drains and even forest areas littered with plastic wrappers, mineral water bottles and liquor containers.
The situation has raised serious questions about the role of the Special Area Development Authority (SADA), constituted by the state government for the development of the region. Despite repeated pleas from residents, SADA has failed to install a garbage treatment plant or initiate scientific waste management practices. Plastic waste is now being indiscriminately dumped into nearby rivulets and forested areas, turning the once-pristine region into a dumping ground.
Residents are particularly aggrieved because SADA continues to collect green tax from tourists and fees from paragliding pilots, yet has made no visible effort to improve sanitation or waste management in the area.
Satish Abrol, president of the Bir Hotel Association, said, “We managed waste collection for three years with no support from the government. Now, we are helpless. Despite repeated requests, no garbage treatment plant has been provided, even though it is urgently needed.”
Echoing the frustration, local hotelier Rajiv Jamwal criticised SADA’s inaction: “SADA was created for development, but it has done nothing in the past five years. Bir-Billing is turning into a slum. Drains are clogged with plastic, roads are flooded with dirty water and the stench makes it difficult to even walk outside.”
Jamwal further demanded that illegal and unplanned construction be curbed and that SADA immediately begin house-to-house garbage collection and set up a treatment facility.
Environmentalists, too, blame weak enforcement and lacklustre monitoring by officials for the deteriorating condition of the area. They point out that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had, back in 2018, directed the state government to install a garbage treatment plant in Bir-Billing. Yet, six years later, no progress has been made.
Despite welcoming thousands of tourists daily, Bir-Billing now finds its image tarnished by plastic waste and poor governance — threatening not just its environment, but also its reputation as a global adventure tourism hotspot.
Himachal Tribune