Tourism Led Water Scarcity in Shogran Valley, KPK. A Case Study on the Impacts of Tourism Growth on Water Resources and Community Livelihood in Shogran Valley.

Ali, Amjed

4. term

Tourism, Master

2026

2026-01-04

44

Tourism in any country is often promoted as a ladder for economic growth. However, when that growth takes place in the absence of precise planning and governance, it can severely affect natural resources. Mostly, countries’ mountain regions are marketed as their main tourist spots; thus, inadequate planning of tourism in these regions causes damage to the natural water resources. This thesis takes this concept and applies it to the Shogran Valley tourism crisis in Pakistan, with a specific focus on water shortage due to unsustainable tourism growth, resource mismanagement, governance failure, and exploitation of the local residents. Shogran Valley is a popular hill tourism destination, and it has experienced a lot of tourism growth over the past twenty years without any regulations on water management, which makes it an appropriate case to observe resource depletion due to tourism. The study follows a qualitative research design in order to observe how tourism growth has affected water resources and distribution across the valley. A semi-structured interview was used to collect primary data from local residents, tourism stakeholders, and government officials. These interviews helped shine a light on the effects of tourism in the valley, mainly focusing on water resource management. In addition, secondary data like academic literature regarding tourism in mountainous regions were used to justify the findings. The findings point to a direct link between tourism growth and water shortage in Shogran Valley. The number of hotels increased from three to more than thirty in the span of twenty-two years, while the main water supply system is still mostly unchanged. It provides about 11-12 liters per second. As the peak tourist season starts, the water demand exceeds the supply. This results in unfair distribution of water, which only favors the hotels over local residents. The unequal distribution leads to conflicts between the two communities as the locals complain about the reduced access to safe drinking water and insufficient water for agriculture and livestock. Additionally, the study shows that these issues arise mainly due to the lack of adequate water governance. Issues like leakage in supply lines, lack of storage capacity, absence of water- controlling valves, and weak maintenance systems lead to more frustration among the local residents. 4 The study also highlights some social consequences of the tourism-induced water crisis. Women and girls of Shogran Valley are mainly responsible for collecting water from distant sources during the peak tourism season due to the scarcity of water. This indirectly affects the already low education productivity for girls while increasing physical hardship. Lack of privacy is also a concern that many young girls feel when tourist activities break their community spaces. The findings highlight a global pattern observed in mountain tourism destinations, where an imbalance in power lets tourism operators control water in the absence of governing bodies. Although tourism has generated many economic benefits, like seasonal employment, often these benefits are unequally distributed. Most of the large-scale investments are controlled by out-of-state contractors, which causes a rise in living expenses for local residents. It also affects crops and makes water insecurity more vulnerable. The study thus states that economic gains in the Shogran valley are obtained at the cost of social equity and environmental sustainability. In conclusion, the study focuses on the need for a shift from quick-fix strategies toward long-term resource sustainability for Shogran Valley’s tourism crisis. It dives deeper into the importance of proper water governance reforms and community engagement. It lights up the risks that continued tourism growth brings for the water resources and the lives of the local residents. The findings add to the broader discussion on tourism as a global phenomenon in relation to water scarcity in the mountain regions. It also offers intervention-relevant insights for contractors, authorities, and development practitioners. Keywords: Mountain tourism, Water scarcity, Shogran Valley, Governance, Local communities, Low education productivity, Physical hardship, Social equity, Community engagement

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