A disturbing video from the high-altitude pilgrimage site of Manimahesh in Himachal Pradesh has triggered widespread anger and a critical conversation about India's mounting waste crisis in ecologically sensitive zones. The clip, shared by Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Parveen Kaswan, lays bare the ugly truth of irresponsible tourism, showing plastic bottles and assorted garbage littering the landscape at a staggering 13,000 feet above sea level.
Viral Video Captures "Marks" Left at High Altitude
On December 30, 2025, Parveen Kaswan took to social media platform X to share the eye-opening footage. The video pans across the pristine yet fragile Himalayan terrain, now marred by heaps of plastic waste left behind by pilgrims and tourists. Accompanying the post, Kaswan posed a poignant question: "Do you really think Hills are calling us!! This is a view from Manimahesh Yatra, Himachal Pradesh. Even at 13000 feet, we are leaving our marks."
The post was tagged to the handle '@healinghimalaya', an organization dedicated to mountain conservation. The footage swiftly went viral, amassing thousands of views and shares, and serving as a stark visual indictment of the environmental cost of unchecked human footfall in the mountains.
Public Backlash and Calls for Accountability
The viral clip ignited a firestorm of reactions from netizens, many expressing deep shame and frustration. The commentary overwhelmingly criticized a perceived lack of civic sense and the failure of systemic waste management.
One user lamented the state of public behavior, while another pointedly noted that promoting tourism without robust waste management infrastructure inevitably leads to such scenes. A significant thread in the discussion also called for holding local administrations accountable for failing to enforce anti-littering rules and ensure cleanliness in these critical areas.
The public outrage underscored a growing intolerance towards practices that degrade India's natural heritage, with many demanding stricter enforcement and greater responsibility from both authorities and visitors.
A Recurring Scourge in India's Tourist Spots
The incident at Manimahesh is not an isolated one but part of a distressing pattern observed across India's popular destinations. The video shared by Kaswan has reignited discussions around several similar episodes that have surfaced in recent years.
Earlier in 2025, social media was abuzz with images of Camp Four on Mount Everest, strewn with plastic bottles, cans, wrappers, and abandoned gear, highlighting the global scale of the problem even at the world's highest peak. In October 2025, a British traveler publicly criticized tourists for littering at a popular viewpoint in Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Conversely, a video from December 2025 showed a Russian tourist voluntarily picking up trash during a trek in Himachal Pradesh, a act that was widely praised and highlighted the role of individual responsibility. These contrasting incidents paint a clear picture of the ongoing battle between environmental neglect and conservation efforts in regions overwhelmed by tourism.
The video from the Manimahesh Yatra serves as a powerful reminder that the pursuit of spiritual and scenic solace must be balanced with profound environmental responsibility. It raises urgent questions about sustainable tourism models, effective waste disposal mechanisms at remote locations, and the collective civic duty required to preserve the Himalayas for future generations.
