Landour’s Cleanliness Crisis Amid Tourist Boom, Nainital Still the Dirtiest Cantonment, ETTravelWorld

The Swachh Survekshan 2024 results have raised serious concerns for Uttarakhand, with cleanliness levels falling across nearly all major cities and towns. But the situation is far worse in the Landour and Nainital cantonments, both popular tourist destinations.

Of the state’s nine cantonments, all but Landour improved in this year’s rankings. Experts attribute the decline to a direct link between rising tourist footfall and poor waste management. “Landour is being overwhelmed by the tourist influx. The board needs structural changes in waste handling. This is a sobering reminder of the need to define carrying capacity. While community involvement is important, the onus lies on leadership,” said Anoop Nautiyal, founder of Dehradun-based SDC Foundation.

While neighbouring Mussoorie has shown marked improvement, Landour slid from 30th place in 2023 to 50th this year. Residents blame a surge in cafes, homestays, and unmanaged tourism for the cantonment’s deteriorating state. Overflowing bins, garbage dumped down slopes, and vanishing green stretches have become routine sights.

“The solid waste management has worsened ever since an outside agency was hired. Their supervisors are missing, and public grievances are going unheard,” said Badal Prakash, former vice-president of the board. Another resident added, “Tourists dump garbage anywhere they like. The absence of responsible tourism and the unregulated rise of cafes and homestays have ruined Landour.”

Swachh Survekshan data shows a drop in door-to-door waste collection in Landour—from 99 per cent to 75 per cent —and a sharp fall in source segregation from 88 per cent to just 2 per cent . Cleanliness of water bodies has dropped to zero from 50 per cent in the previous edition.

Nainital Cantonment, meanwhile, remains among India’s dirtiest cantonments despite a minor jump in rank—from 61st to 52nd out of 58. The board continues to languish in the bottom tier, showing little progress despite nationwide efforts. It also features among Uttarakhand’s worst-performing urban bodies, alongside Ghansali, Padli Gujjar, Rampur, and Piran Kaliyar.

While Nainital Cantonment improved door-to-door waste collection from 20 per cent to 74 per cent , source segregation dropped from 18 per cent to 8 per cent . Waste processing remains at zero. Most alarming is the complete collapse in toilet cleanliness (from 75 per cent to 0), marketplace cleanliness (20 per cent to 0), and cleanliness of water bodies (5 per cent to 0).

Local resident Rajiv Lochan Sah blamed poor enforcement, civic apathy, and lack of awareness. Tourist pressure during peak seasons, coupled with the challenges of hilly terrain, have made infrastructure development difficult. Unlike proactive areas like Rudrapur and Lalkuan, Nainital Cantonment has seen no major clean-up drives or investments till mid-2025.

Statewide data shows mixed results: door-to-door waste collection fell from 69.7 per cent to 56.6 per cent , while source segregation improved from 17 per cent to 49 per cent , and waste processing rose from 26.5 per cent to 40.5 per cent .

Experts have suggested a range of urgent interventions: localised waste treatment units, compost pits, and small material recovery facilities; strict littering fines and better surveillance; citizen outreach; regulated tourism and vending zones; ecological zoning; and a dedicated cantonment waste management task force under the state’s proposed Waste Management Commission.

• Published On Jul 19, 2025 at 02:30 PM IST

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