Arunachal: Hot Water Spring of west Kameng dist in dilapidated condition; tourist raises concern

The Hot Water Spring, a popular tourist attraction, which is located in Dirang of West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh is in poor condition. 

Tourists from all over India come to bath in it because its water is said to cure a variety of diseases and has medicinal properties.

The state government had built infrastructure near the spring in order to promote it as a tourist destination.

For the tourists, infrastructure such as toilets, locker rooms, shower rooms, and change rooms had been built. Former Chief Secretary Shakuntala D Gamlin dedicated these facilities in 2017. However, these facilities are currently in a completely dilapidated state. They have become a garbage dumping ground due to a lack of care. The administration has completely abandoned the majority of the infrastructure, which has been severely damaged.

A tourist expressed concern about the deteriorating infrastructure and urged everyone to work together to save the hot water spring.

Visitors have stopped bathing in the area due to the unsanitary conditions. "I came from outside Arunachal and wanted to take a bath because we had heard that this water cures a variety of ailments." But, given the unsanitary conditions, I simply dipped my hand in the hot water spring. "I urge local officials to protect the hot water spring because many tourists, including myself, include it on our itinerary when visiting Dirang," another tourist said.

Dr MS Awan, a linguist from Manipur who visited the Dirang hot water spring, expressed his dismay after seeing its deplorable state.

"When I saw the state of the hot spring spot area, my excitement turned to disappointment." The pool water was stagnant, and the surrounding area was littered with trash. As one of Dirang's top tourist attractions, proper maintenance and renovation are essential," said Dr Awan.

"Building infrastructures is useless unless they are properly maintained and regulated." When such infrastructures are unable to generate revenue for the department and the state, it is a loss to the state exchequer, particularly for the tourism department.