Rising footfall, rising risks: SDC seeks urgent reforms in Char Dham Yatra management

Counterview News     

Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, a Dehradun-based public-interest organization working on climate change, sustainable development and environmental issues in Uttarakhand, has released its preliminary Factsheet on Char Dham Yatra 2025. The document compiles data on pilgrimage days, footfall distribution, peak footfall dates and zero-pilgrim days across the five major pilgrimage sites—Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Hemkund Sahib—for the recently concluded Char Dham Yatra 2025.

The Foundation announced preliminary results in a fact sheet ahead of a comprehensive Char Dham Yatra 2025 report saying, long-term planning, collaborative governance and sustained stakeholder engagement are essential to ensure that the Char Dham Yatra remains spiritually meaningful and environmentally secure.

Presenting the factsheet, Anoop Nautiyal, Founder of SDC Foundation, noted that the 2025 Yatra recorded 51,06,346 pilgrims, compared to 48,01,167 in 2024—an increase of 3,05,179 pilgrims. The pilgrimage period this year ranged from 139 days at Hemkund Sahib, 175 days at Kedarnath, 176 days at Gangotri, 177 days at Yamunotri, and 206 days at Badrinath.

While the overall duration of the Yatra in 2024 and 2025 remained broadly comparable, Badrinath witnessed a notable extension this year, staying open for 206 days compared to 190 in 2024—an increase of 16 days.

The highest single-day footfall was recorded at Kedarnath on May 2, 2025, with 30,154 pilgrims visiting the shrine. The Foundation emphasized that increasing numbers alone cannot be viewed as an indicator of success; the true measure of an effective Yatra is the degree to which it is managed safely, sustainably and efficiently.

A key concern flagged in the factsheet is the unusually high number of zero-pilgrim and extremely low-pilgrim days, caused largely by weather disturbances, landslides and disaster-related route closures. 

The Char Dham shrines collectively recorded 86 zero-pilgrim days, 67 days with only 1–500 pilgrims and 80 days with 501–1000 pilgrims. Gangotri alone experienced 35 zero-pilgrim days, while Yamunotri recorded 38 such days, pointing to frequent and significant disruptions.

According to SDC Foundation, this pattern underscores the urgent need for strengthened disaster-mitigation systems, faster road restoration, improved information management and more resilient planning. Such volatility in daily footfall must be treated as a serious operational challenge rather than a routine administrative concern.

Drawing from the Char Dham Yatra 2024 report, which offered detailed assessments and recommendations, SDC noted that many systemic issues identified last year continue to persist. Nautiyal reiterated that government planning must shift from celebrating record numbers to strengthening safety norms, adhering to carrying-capacity principles, improving aero safety systems, investing in medical and emergency response infrastructure, simplifying the registration process, enhancing communication on weather and route conditions, and ensuring that local communities benefit from the Yatra economy.

Nautiyal stressed that only coordinated efforts by government bodies, scientific institutions, local businesses, communities and stakeholders can ensure that the Yatra remains safe, sustainable and resilient in the years ahead.

He also acknowledged the contribution of Praveen Upreti of SDC Foundation, whose daily data compilation and tracking of official Yatra numbers made the preparation of this factsheet possible.