‘Even at 13,000 feet, we are leaving our marks’: IFS officer shares video of plastic waste in fragile Himachal mountains, sparks outrage

The video has since gone viral, triggering a flurry of reactions criticising irresponsible tourists (Image source: @ParveenKaswan/X)

Tourist spots in India often witness a massive influx of travellers each year, leaving behind litter and trash. Several videos of such incidents have sparked backlash over a lack of civic sense in recent years.

Amid the conversation centred around irresponsible tourism, a disturbing clip from the Manimahest Yatra in Himachal Pradesh has emerged on social media. Shared by Indian Forest Service officer (IFS) Parveen Kaswan, the video captures the plastic bottles and other waste material littered at such an altitude.

Sharing the video, Kaswan wrote, “Do you really think Hills are calling us!! This is a view from Manimahesh Yatra, Himachal Pradesh. Even at 13000 feet, we are leaving our marks.”

Do you really think Hills are calling us !!

This is view from Manimahesh Yatra, HP. Even at 13000 feet we have left our marks. @healinghimalaya pic.twitter.com/C3LnVE3w4H

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) December 30, 2025

The video has since gone viral, triggering a flurry of reactions criticising irresponsible tourists. “Indians are the worst-behaved civilians in the world. We’ve got no sense of cleanliness and public order. Horrible,” a user wrote. “Until there is some semblance of waste management promoting unabated tourism will only result in scenes like the one you show,” another user commented.

“This isn’t leaving marks this is littering , local administration should be held responsible cuz they couldn’t ensure the no littering in the area, and littering by visitors. Until any Government officials were held responsible they wouldn’t care for implementation of rules,” a third user chimed in.

Earlier, a video of Camp Four on Mount Everest littered with plastic bottles, soft drink cans, snack wrappers, abandoned tents, and other waste scattered in the snow drew attention on social media, highlighting the environmental damage caused by human activity at the tallest peak in the world.

In October, a British traveller slammed tourists for littering one of Darjeeling, West Bengal’s popular spots. In another incident in December, a Russian woman was seen picking up trash during her trek in Himachal Pradesh.