The Indian Army and Border Roads Organisation recently cleared 7–8 tonnes of plastic waste from the Ghost Temple shrine on the Manali-Leh Highway and, through “Operation Cleanup,” are retrieving decades-old airdropped metal scrap from forward areas via reverse logistics that generates no extra cost and yields scrap-sale revenue.

Despite hyper-arid conditions, the Army has advanced arboriculture by supporting Forest Department and NGO programmes and using discarded tyres and tubes to improve sapling survival, while also formalising wildlife conservation through a March memorandum of understanding with the Ladakh administration to protect species including the snow leopard and black-necked crane.

The Ladakh administration has hired 100 former soldiers for its Environment Protection Force, drawing on the military’s long-standing presence and environmental engagement to promote cleanliness, biodiversity conservation and responsible tourism in the high-altitude region.

Preserving Natural Beauty

The Union Territory of Ladakh which comprises Leh, Kargil, Indus, Nubra River Valleys and the Zanskar range is India’s largest cold desert with altitudes ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 meters and more. While this region has a short and dry summer season, the winters are long with heavy snowfall and chilling high velocity winds that causes the temperatures to fall far below sub-zero.

Despite the difficult terrain, rarefied air and harsh climatic conditions, Ladakh has its unique charm of its own that attracts a large number of international as well as domestic tourists, especially during the summer months. As we all know, with tourists comes litter, and despite repeated efforts to educate them on the importance of keeping the environment clean, discarding waste material carelessly continues unabated.

Waste plastic containers of packaged water and beverages, metallic foil wrappers of snacks and expanded polystyrene [commonly referred to as Thermocol in India] not only mar........

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