Overview

Naitwar is the entry point to Govind Ballabh Panth Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park. It is at the intersection of different ranges, close to a tourist hotspot and climbing basecamp. This treacherously hilly, remote area, provides habitat for endangered snow leopards. Dotted with tiny hamlets, numbering no less than 42, farmers have historically herded cattle, but are increasingly turning to tourism and cash crops. With apple orchards replacing regular grain fields, dependency on town businesses has grown over the last 20 years, with plastic-packed groceries becoming the norm. Dumpyards of non-biodegradables are eating away at the delicate mountains and their fragile ecosystems around the villages. Burning of plastic is a major mode of disposal, and toxic fumes spiral up with regularity. Inhabitants, cattle, forest and wildlife are silently suffering.