Need Planned Development of Millennium Trekking Route

Millennium Trekking Route, one of the prominent tourist destinations in Nepal is a combined image of existing outstanding environment, socio-cultural and biodiversity asset of Dhor Area. In a true sense, if we want to upkeep the tourism image of this Route, Dhoreli should pay more attention towards maintaining its foundations such as socio-culture, environment and economic potentials.

The area is endowed with rich biodiversity and socio-cultural resources which are a basis of this Millennium Trekking Route. Dense community managed forests, scenic landscape, diverse ecosystem that range from lowland of Hiletar to the highest point upto Gurdhunm, sprouted water sources and forests are key biodiversity assets. In addition, the area can be considered as a part of the wildlife dispersal corridor between Annapurna Conservation Area towards North and Chitwan National Park towards South. Having globally significant biodiversity resources, the corridor is getting popularity across the world and drawing financial support from national and international development partners these days.

Prem Raja Mahat, Narendra Ale, Meera Rana Magar, Tanka Paudel, Phatta Thapa, Dharma Bahadur Bania, Pradeep Paudel, to name few is national and international figures, which are becoming "scent in the gold" of this area. Because of their outstanding performance in their respective field, the Dhor area together with these personalities is getting popularity across the country - nationally as well as internationally. Similarly, community managed Phulbari Hospital in Sakhe and Sahid Krishna Library in Patan of Dhorphirdi could be an additional asset for attracting more tourists in the Millennium Trekking Route. Dhorbarahi, Bajasthala Chhetri culture, Phirphire Gurung Culture, and Magar settlement all along the trekking routes are other cultural ingredients of the Millennium Trekking Route that deserve special attention for conservation. In recognition of the perfect blend of nature and culture, the Millennium Trekking Route is going to be linked with the Great Himalayan Trek towards North and Lumbini, the birth place of Buddha in South soon.

There are many challenges coming out to maintain the higher tourism value of this area. One can see ongoing unplanned infrastructure development activities such as road construction, mining, and picnic spot construction at the cost of the pristine ecosystem all along the route. Having unplanned construction, air pollution, deforestation and degradation, the Millennium Trekking Route is losing its beauty day after day. In addition, the historical Sahid Krishna Library in Patan is being misused which is exemplified from the fact that "books are being displaced by community utensils!". In fact these activities are tarnishing the image of the Millennium Trekking Routes.

Therefore, to maintain the route and to generate more economic and employment opportunities through promoting tourism, it is high time to think of the area and put concerted efforts from across the sectors. In this front, it is opportune time to develop a master plan of the trekking route considering socio-economic, cultural, environmental, and historical and infrastructure as major components of the Plan. To develop any infrastructures, it is essential to include environmental consideration in survey and designing of the development activities. Some activities, like drainage facilities, plantation and bioengineering should be included in each and every infrastructure development activities considering it as an integral part of the infrastructure. If development takes an account of environment, then the infrastructure become sustainable as well as helps maintaining image of the Trekking Route. Similarly, it is equally necessary to maintain sociao-cultural value of this area by maintaining existing libraries, schools and hospitals.

In nut shell, the existing unplanned socio-economic and infrastructure development activities in Dhor area are leading neither towards sustainable path nor going to support tourism, one of the key potential source of income of local people in the Millennium Trekking Routes. Therefore, any development activities in the route should be guided by a master plan that takes an account of environment as well as socio-cultural component of the Millennium Trekking Route. Now time has come for planned development.