The origin of the Yamuna at Yamunotri is an attractive tourist spot, which is visited by tourists and devotees between the months of April and October. On an average 5 lakh people visit this place every year owing to its natural beauty and its religious significance. The large numbers of tourists bring with them a lot ofNon-Biodegradable Waste and strain the resources of the quaint hilly pilgrimage. The bulk of the damage is essentially done by the cheap plastic that is used for one-time use Raincoats by pilgrims. The area falling between Jankichatti and Yamunotri gets rainfall almost every day in the Yatra months between April and September. Thus making Raincoats a must, but the cheap plastic of the coats can not be used beyond once. Pilgrims discard the coats along the hills, thus polluting the sacred river even at its origin.
• Operation Raincoat seeks to clean the Yamunotri Valley, keeping it as sacred and pristine as it was meant to be.
• It will replace the existing poor quality Raincoats with durable ones, thus ensuring livelihood opportunities for the people who depend on the sale of Raincoats for their living.
• To combine environmental sustainability with livelihood for the natives.
• To pave the way for such initiative in other ecologically vulnerable places as well.
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