Amid tourist rush, inadequate washroom facilities annoy visitors at Gulmarg

Baramulla, Jan 30: Amid a massive tourist influx following recent snowfall, Kashmir’s premier winter destination, Gulmarg is grappling with a serious shortage of public washroom facilities, causing inconvenience to thousands of visitors arriving at the resort every day.

According to officials of the Tourism Department, Gulmarg is currently witnessing an average footfall of around 6,500 tourists daily, with hotel occupancy touching 100 per cent.

While the snow-laden slopes and gondola rides continue to attract visitors from across the country and abroad—particularly after two back-to-back spells of snowfall—the absence of adequate washroom facilities at key locations has emerged as a major concern among tourists.

Skiers, visitors and local stakeholders said that washroom facilities are largely limited to the Club area and the Gondola terminal, leaving vast stretches of ski slopes and tourist zones without access to basic sanitation infrastructure.

A group of student skiers who recently completed a 15-day skiing course in Gulmarg said the problem becomes especially uncomfortable during extreme cold conditions.

“In a cold climate like Gulmarg, people frequently need washroom facilities, but there are none near designated ski areas or along the slopes. This causes real hardship,” said one of the students.

Murtaza, a skier from Mumbai who recently completed a 10-day skiing course, said that even the available washrooms lack proper water supply.

“Washrooms are available at the Club, but there was no running water. We had to buy bottled water for basic hygiene. This is unacceptable for an international-level tourist resort like Gulmarg,” he said.

He suggested that instead of constructing permanent concrete structures, authorities should introduce mobile and eco-friendly bio-toilets across the resort.

“Mobile washrooms would be more suitable for Gulmarg’s fragile ecology and can be placed at key locations such as ski slopes, gondola points and major tourist activity zones,” he added.

Local tourism stakeholders have urged the Gulmarg Development Authority to urgently install washroom facilities at high-footfall locations, including the Tourist Ski Shop (85-slope), gondola queue areas and major ski tracks, to ensure visitor comfort and maintain cleanliness.

The issue assumes significance as Gulmarg is witnessing one of its busiest winter seasons. Following fresh snowfall, hotels are operating at full capacity, and stakeholders including hoteliers, ponywalas and ATV operators, have welcomed the surge in tourist arrivals, which is expected to increase further with upcoming winter events.

Thousands of skiers, adventure enthusiasts and leisure tourists are currently thronging the resort.

Notably, in 2019, the Tourism Department had announced that mobile and bio-toilets would be installed at all tourist resorts and en route destinations, operating round the clock free of cost, with proper signage. However, more than six years later, no such facilities have been made available in Gulmarg, leaving many tourists disappointed.

Assistant Director Tourism, Gulmarg, Tahir Ahmad Wani, said that the washroom facility at the Club is functional and another facility is being made available.

“The department has already provided washroom facilities at the Club, and a few more such facilities will be made available to enhance tourist comfort,” he said.