The Wildlife Institute of India has begun a study on the carrying capacity of four Himalayan shrines in Uttarakhand.

While the Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Hemkund Sahib shrines are part of the study, it will not cover Badrinath.

The study has several objectives, including the assessment of infrastructure available along the trek routes to the shrines for tourists and pilgrims as well as their vehicle carrying capacity, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist and principal investigator of the project Bhupendra Singh Adhikari told PTI.

"The study was needed as the number of pilgrims visiting the temples hits four to five lakhs in the initial days of the (Char Dham) Yatra itself. We will see if the infrastructure available on the way to these temples is enough to accommodate this kind of crowd or if some regulation is necessary, especially when the Yatra is at its peak," he said.

The study will also ascertain whether environmental rules are being complied with, Adhikari said.

"We will ascertain whether or not necessary environmental safeguards are being taken to ensure no harm is caused to the fragile ecosystem in the higher Himalayan region, which consists of alpine meadows where rare plant species are found. Equines are left by their operators in the meadows that can be harmful to plant species crucial to the Himalayan ecosystem," he said.

"Videos are uploaded on social media about the alleged exploitation of equines (horses and mules). For example, they continue to be used by their operators to ferry pilgrims even when they are sick and are dumped in water bodies when they die instead of being buried," the scientist said and added that the study would find the truth about the claims by talking to locals.

The study will also review the solid and liquid waste management norms being followed in the temple areas, said Adhikari, who is heading the 12-member study team.

Preparing the report will take nearly a year, he said.

WII was assigned the task by the state government in October-November in view of the huge rush of pilgrims to these shrines in recent years, he said.

Around 48 lakh pilgrims visited the Char Dham temples this year and about 54 lakh last year, said Adhikari.

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