Tackling horse dung menace in Kufri: Himachal govt to frame eco-regulation guidelines within three months

This decision, informed by the government before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) during the hearing of the petition raising an issue of unscientific management and control of horses/ponies plying in Kufri and regulation of the tourist activities to prevent damage to the natural vegetation, local ecology and environment, is intended to combat pollution from horse dung and promote sustainable tourism

Himachal Pradesh government said that it will frame and notify eco-regulation guidelines within three months to cap the maximum daily tourist capacity and limiting horse operations per day at the ecologically sensitive Kufri–Mahasu Peak near Shimla to ensure sustainable tourism and environmental protection in the area.

Tackling horse dung menace in Kufri: Himachal govt to frame eco-regulation guidelines within three months

This decision, informed by the government before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) during the hearing of the petition raising an issue of unscientific management and control of horses/ponies plying in Kufri and regulation of the tourist activities to prevent damage to the natural vegetation, local ecology and environment, is intended to combat pollution from horse dung and promote sustainable tourism.

The state government is planning to limit the number of tourists at 2,232 persons and limiting horse operations to 293 per day.

After state government’s reply, the tribunal, while disposing off the petition during the hearing on October 14, said, “State authorities will have consultation with the horse groups.The action taken report will be submitted immediately after three months.”

The petition arose from a letter written by one Shailendra Kumar Yadav. It pointed out that nearly 700–800 horses operate daily across 8–10 square kilometres of the Kufri Reserved Forest and catchment area

Yadav alleged that the trees in the reserved forest of Kufri are slowly dying because of the callous attitude of the state and its agencies and local administration. There are around 700-800 horses in an area of about 8 -10 sq kms in an around the tourist village of Kufri which is at the edge of the Reserved Forest and the catchment area. He alleges that uncontrolled movement of the horses has irreparably damaged the flora and fauna of the ecosystem and has damaged the food chain. Further allegation is that due to continuous plying of horses, the forest trail and tree roots have been severally damaged. It is also alleged that the local administration has expanded the parking area for horses in the prohibited area of the forest and what is visible is the naked tree roots, the drying trees and shrubs with heaps of stinking horse dung all over the area. Further allegation is that a patch of about 1 km from Kufri to ChailKufri Road has been severally damaged by the horse owners by making an illegal road applying JCB machine. Once this area was having abundant reserved forest and was developed as catchment area by Britishers as a source of water supply to Shimla town, but it is now being slowly destroyed. On account of the ecological disturbances the snow fall in the area is continuously declining over the last two decades and the water source are drying and the Shimla Town itself remains devoid of any snow for most of the winter season, the letter mentions.

The green tribunal has accepted a comprehensive report submitted by the divisional forest officer, Theog, which scientifically determined these caps using Cifuentes’ ecological carrying capacity methodology. The study took into account parameters such as slope, trail conditions, vegetation health, and sanitation limits to assess the area’s capacity.

In March 2023, a joint committee was formed to assess environmental degradation in the area. The committee’s second report, submitted in December 2023, confirmed large-scale damage to vegetation, spread of invasive plant species, and faecal coliform contamination in local water sources. Subsequently, on April 22, 2025, the NGT directed the state to prepare an action plan focusing on eco-friendly horse dung management, tourist regulation, and a scientific carrying capacity study.

The final report submitted in July 2025 estimated that about 400–500 tonnes of horse dung are generated annually at Kufri–Mahasu Peak. It proposed a two-stage treatment system — manuring and vermi-composting — at an estimated cost of ₹79,000 per year ( ₹16 per kilogram). The report also examined the feasibility of a briquetting system but found it to be less sustainable and economically viable.