Harishchandragad - a popular hill fort with 'mountain' of plastic; 115 sackful of waste collected

A voluntary group, Shivneri Trekkers Association, conducted a three-day cleanliness drive at Harishchandragad fort, collecting over 120 sacks of plastic waste and liquor bottles.

Harishchandragad, an iconic fort in Maharashtra that is popular among hardcore trekkers, adventure enthusiasts and social media users alike, has been staring at an ecological problem as a large amount of plastic waste discarded by visitors can be seen lying around on its premises.

The situation is more or less similar at many other forts in the state that are linked to the inspiring history of Maratha empire founder Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The plastic waste problem has particularly gained serious proportions at Harishchandragad in Ahilyanagar district over the past few years.

But a voluntary group based in Junnar taluka of Pune district decided to do something to rid the fort of the growing menace.

Shivneri Trekkers Association, a non-profit group of adventure and history enthusiasts, undertook a three-day cleanliness drive at the fort over the last weekend. Its team of 55 members collected 115 sacks of plastic waste and five sacks of liquor bottles from the plateau and the surrounding areas of the fort located at an altitude of over 3,500 feet above sea level in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats.

Nilesh Khokrale, president of the trekking group, said the drive involved volunteers aged between 10 and 70 years and resulted in the collection of an estimated 1.25 to 1.5 tonnes of plastic waste and around 225 to 250 kilograms of glass liquor bottles.

The waste was later handed over to the forest department for disposal.

The discarded plastic lying around the ancient temple and cave complex, Taramati Peak, Kokankada and several popular trekking routes was collected, he said, adding that a significant amount of such waste still remains scattered across inaccessible cliffs, slopes and remote sections.

The scale of the problem reflects a broader environmental challenge confronting popular forts and trekking circuits across Maharashtra, including forts like Raigad, Sinhagad, Rajgad, and Kalsubai Peak, where tourism infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with the surge in visitors driven by social media and weekend travel trends.

Harishchandragad was once primarily frequented by trekkers, but has now evolved into a major tourist attraction due to social media exposure. The fort witnesses a steady influx of visitors throughout the year, including during the harsh summer months, when tourists flock to witness the cloud formations around the majestic Kokankada cliff, a dramatic escarpment popular among trekkers and photographers.

Believed to date back to the 6th century during the Kalachuri period, the fort later came under the control of several dynasties, including the Rashtrakutas. Perched in the Sahyadri mountain range, Harishchandragad is regarded as one of Maharashtra's most historically and ecologically significant hill forts. Dense forests surround the plateau and slopes of the fort.

Members of the trekking group said the region is rich in flora and fauna, with frequent sightings of the Indian giant squirrel, locally known as 'shekaru', along with leopards and spotted deer.

Another major concern raised during the drive was the continued burning of plastic waste.

Volunteers claimed there is no scientific waste-processing mechanism in place and that collected garbage is often burnt locally by stall owners and those handling disposal.

Environmental experts have repeatedly warned that open burning of plastic releases toxic pollutants and damages fragile hill ecosystems.

Harishchandragad falls within an ecologically-sensitive and historically significant zone, making coordinated management difficult in the absence of a dedicated conservation authority or sustainable tourism policy.

Sharada Shinde, vice-president of the group, said trekking destinations such as Harishchandragad should be declared plastic-free zones in view of the mounting waste-disposal problem.

''Plastic bottles and wrappers discarded at adventure tourism spots are washed down by rain and floods, polluting streams and rivers. The state government should take strict measures to prevent this and ensure plastic-free zones at all adventure tourism destinations,'' Shinde said.

The trekking group said volunteer drives alone cannot solve the problem unless authorities introduce permanent waste-management systems, stricter regulation of commercial activity on forts, and accountability mechanisms for both tourists and vendors.

Trekkers say that there has been a large-scale increase in adventure tourism in Maharashtra, especially after lockdown, but there is a systemic gap in eco-tourism planning, where destinations attracting lakhs of visitors annually lack structured sanitation systems, waste-segregation units and scientific garbage-disposal mechanisms.

Hrishikesh Yadav, executive president of the Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh (AMGM), the apex body for mountaineering, trekking and adventure sports organisations in the state, said authorities should develop a viable economic model to tackle waste disposal, especially plastic waste, as adventure tourism destinations are witnessing a sharp rise in footfall.

Ashok Pawar, assistant conservator of forests, Nashik range, told PTI that authorities have struggled to control plastic waste because multiple routes lead to the top of Harishchandragad, although a plastic-crushing unit has been installed on one of the most frequently used routes.