Urban environmental governance for religious tourism in selective pilgrim towns in India | |
| Author | Shinde, Kiran Ajit |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.UE-01-06 |
| Subject(s) | Pilgrims and pilgrimages--India--Environmental aspects Urban ecology--India |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Pilgrim towns are religious centers where people travel to seek spiritual help and perform pilgrimage (religious tourism). However, in India most of these pilgrim towns have been facing environmental degradation due to the pressures exerted by an increased and regular distribution of visitors (in effect the floating population). This is coupled with the urban growth of the towns driven by demand for supporting infrastructure (accommodation facilities, amenities etc). In the pilgrim towns, environmental concerns primarily relate to carrying capacity (stressed infrastructure, increased residuals like solid waste and cumulative pollution problems) and visitor management. This study has examined two popular pilgrim towns in India, Tirumala- Tirupati with a strong authoritative religious institution of TTD and Vrindavan without a single strong religious institution (but hundreds of small institutions). The environmental issues were analyzed within a 'Pressure- State- Response' framework with a focus on 'response' mechanism by institutions (like local government, religious institutions, NGOs and civil society). This analysis was used to develop strategies for better environmental management based on an understanding of their interactions. It is seen that resources generated within the towns (by pilgrims) are not appropriated for environmental improvement. On one hand local authorities have been found to be incapable of handling the additional burden of the floating population due to a lack of resources and responsibilities beyond its scope. On the other hand, there are religious institutions (like temples and ashrams) in a pilgrim town that benefit directly from the offerings made by pilgrims (in reverence to deity or religious leaders). The author stresses that the religious institutions have a moral responsibility of propagating religious faith incorporating environmental concerns. The lack of institutional capacity (policy and responsibility) to manage regular visitation and inaction on part of different actors in the town were found to be major reasons for the existing environmental problems in the pilgrim towns. The thesis argues that pilgrimage needs to be accepted as an economic activity as it provides income opportunities for the local residents and produces output that adds to the environmental pollution. A 'Strategic Management' approach in the study suggests two- pronged strategies to deal with the environmental issues in pilgrim towns. The general long-term recommendations comprise of the policies for managing the impacts (effects) and minimizing the impact by limiting the pressures (causes), i.e. mainly the influx of visitors. The latter is a 'Command and Control' measure that is recommended if the management approach fails to improve the situation. Measures for managing impacts constitute developing a comprehensive policy for pilgrimage, a strategy for stakeholder participation in environmental management based on their strengths, and accepting pilgrimage as tourism related economic activity and the need to bring religious institutions as enterprises under some regulatory framework for environmental improvement. Strategic EIA that deals with the ambient quality of the environment is suggested considering the cumulative effect of influx of pilgrims on the entire town. Short-term immediate measures are also put forward for the selected towns within an Urban Environmental Management approach. Socio-economic, cultural and political dimensions are potential areas of research (these were outside the purview of this study of management approach) to develop better understanding and strategies for environment improvement as these influence implementations of the recommendations. |
| Year | 2002 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Urban Environmental and Management (UE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Jamieson, Walter |
| Examination Committee(s) | Zimmermann, Willi ;Sajor, Edsel |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | RUDO- USAID |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2002 |