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Journalism of Courage
A video of cars crawling bumper to bumper near Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh has gone viral, sparking a renewed debate around ‘overtourism’ in the mountains, especially as people from pollution-choked Delhi look for a quick escape.
Overtourism occurs when too many people crowd a particular destination, leaving authorities unable to manage them properly and potentially even leading to other unfavourable impacts, including environmental damage.
Posted on X by user Nikhil Saini, the clip shows an unusually long traffic jam on the narrow mountain road. What surprised many viewers was the timing: there has been no snowfall in the region, nor is it peak holiday season, yet the route appears completely clogged.
“Escape from toxic AQI or what? This jam isn’t on some city road, it’s Rohtang Pass. No snowfall yet. No vacations. Still such massive traffic. So what exactly is pulling everyone up there?” he wrote, echoing the confusion shared by many online.
The video has once again brought attention to the unchecked pressure faced by tourist spots in environmentally fragile regions like Rohtang.
The rush comes at a time when Delhi’s air quality has been deteriorating sharply. On Tuesday, the Capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 380, falling into the ‘very poor’ category. Thick smog reduced visibility and made breathing difficult for days. While conditions improved marginally on Wednesday, the AQI still stood at a worrying 329.
The AQI scale categorises air quality as good (0–50), satisfactory (51–100), moderately polluted (101–200), poor (201–300), very poor (301–400), and severe (401–500). Higher AQI readings indicate increasingly unhealthy air.
As the clip circulated, social media users flooded the comments with reactions. Some blamed viral travel reels and influencer-driven hype for pushing people to head to the hills impulsively. Others questioned the lack of planning and crowd control at popular destinations.
One user remarked, “The mountains look less like a mountain pass, more like a road in gurgaon or greater Noida West full of dirt only.” Another joked, “Now I understand why Goa tickets are available at cheap rates this peak season!” A third quipped, “AQI so bad people treating Rohtang like it’s the last level of Earth.”
A more serious note came from another commenter, who wrote, “It’s striking to see such massive traffic at Rohtang Pass, especially when there’s no snowfall or vacations. This is one of the most fragile ecological zones in the region, not equipped to handle such volumes of tourists.”
The post added, “Beyond environmental stress, it’s also a highly risky zone – landslides, sudden weather changes, and accidents are constant threats. Without proper regulations and controlled access, this could quickly turn into a serious catastrophe. There’s an urgent need for new policies to manage visitor flow, protect the ecosystem, and ensure safety in such sensitive high-altitude areas.”
