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The growing trend of rural-urban migration in Ladakh is a reflection of a structural shift in the economic activities from agriculture to non-agriculture. In recent years, a trend has emerged in rural outmigration, partially driven by improved education, improved social services, and job opportunities in Leh town from villages of Ladakh. This has resulted in agricultural lands and traditional occupations being abandoned. Migrants are being drawn to Leh town from villages throughout Ladakh and large settlements have sprung up around the capital. Among all the economic changes underway in Ladakh, the large-scale migration of people from villages to Leh town is of particular importance in understanding the social, economic, and demographic changes taking place in Ladakh. It is thus important to examine these aspects to understand the problem of rural-urban migration in its proper perspective and to formulate policies that will help to achieve a sustainable future for Ladakh and its people.

The aim is to understand the phenomenon of rural to urban migration in Ladakh by studying its causes and consequences. There has been very few studies on the topic despite it being one of the most important issue at the moment in Ladakh.

The trend of rural to urban migration in Ladakh Subsistence farming, livestock rearing and income generation activities like small scale trade and wage and casual labour are the mainstay way of livelihood in the mountainous communities around the world (Eriksson et al., 2009). In the case of Ladakh, the vast majority of people were living as farmers in small villages but it has changed drastically in the last few decades. The dramatic shift from traditional subsistence agriculture to non-agricultural activities as a source of livelihood is mainly led by tourism followed by employment in government service including armed forces. Dependency and importance of farming is decreasing as people are now increasingly dependent on heavily subsidised ration distributed by the government through the public distribution system (PDS) in the last few decades. Leh is one of the fastest expanding small towns in India and it is in a water scarce region (Jandl, 2005). Between 1981 and 2001, the population of Leh tripled in size (Dollfuss, 2012). The urban population has increased exponentially in the last decade and today the town of Leh has a population of about 45,000 (Ladakh Ecological Development Group [LEDeG], 2019). There is seasonal and permanent rural outmigration. The seasonal migrants are like those who engage in tourism, who migrate at the start of summer and stay till the onset of autumn as during these months most of the tourists visit Ladakh and they get employment in various capacities. There are others who migrate permanently and they are mainly engaged in activities like daily wage labourer, running small businesses, restaurant and working as driver etc. throughout the year. Migrants take up different types of work and non-farm activities are the key drivers of migration and social mobility in Leh Ladakh (Goodall, 2004).

Cause and Consequences of Migration

Migration from rural to urban areas is an increasingly common phenomenon in most of the developing countries in the world. Rural-urban migration is an important issue that all countries face in the urbanisation process. Changes in economic structure, climate change, and migration are all closely linked. A high rate of migration indicates a high degree of rural-urban differences in perceived income and economic opportunity. 

Migration is the response to booming tourism in Leh. Factors like climate change and the centralization of Leh as the economic and administrative centre act as push and pull factors. The motivation to leave rural areas for most of the migrants is to seek better job opportunities and higher expected incomes in the areas of destination. As Leh became the functional central hub, migrants from different regions of Ladakh started migrating in search of employment opportunities. Many new wards like Housing colony, Ibex colony, Nimoling, Skampari, Murtsey have been established to accommodate migrants since the 1990s (Müller & Dame, 2016). Dame et al. (2019) study show the rapid demographic growth and construction activities in Leh leading to the urbanization of Leh. They observed the expansion into the barren land, agricultural land, and the densification of built-up areas in and around Leh. The rapid expansion of areas like Skampari, Skalzangling, Housing Colony and Ibex Colony have taken place since the 1990s. These settlements house a large number of migrants who have migrated from the different villages of Ladakh. The consequences of rapid unplanned urbanization create a host of problems like urban squalor, pollution, and crime. Leh is on the brink of drinking water scarcity, the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department is under immense pressure to meet the increasing demand for water in Leh town as snowfall is erratic and the groundwater level is depleting fast (Ladol, 2019). Increasing waste generation is another big challenge in Ladakh. Plastic waste is becoming a menace as it pollutes the air, land, and water and affects the whole ecology.

The tourism industry has opened up employment opportunities in Leh, and people are migrating from rural parts of Ladakh. Tourism provides a valuable income source for guides, porters, taxi drivers, retailers, handicrafts, restaurant owners, etc. directly or indirectly. Tourism contributes almost 50% of the local GDP but its benefit is concentrated to Leh city (Pelliciardi 2010). 

There is a huge deployment of armed forces in and around Leh and it acts as pull factor as it provides many income opportunities to locals in permanent and temporary appointments at different levels. A harsh climate and less availability of fertile soil make it increasingly difficult to meet the needs of the growing population, and migration becomes the only option. Bhasin (1999) argued that as the practice of polyandrous marriage and primogeniture is no longer practiced so the available land can no longer support the increasing population pressure and food requirements. Farming in Ladakh has many constraints like water shortages, low temperatures, poor soil, coupled with small landholdings, which are forcing people from rural areas to migrate in search of livelihood and employment. Agriculture production is entirely based on irrigation in Ladakh. There are villages like Kulum, Kumik etc. which have been forced to abandon due to water scarcity, and many villages are about to face the fate of these villages as climate change is wreaking havoc in the Himalayan region and migration is the only escape. People in Ladakh must strike a balance between preserving the past and innovating for the future to adapt to the changing uncertainties of climate change and other challenges (Daultrey & Gergan, 2011).

Table 1: Increasing Urban Population in Leh District

Year	Urban Population (Leh town, Spituk and Choglamsar)	Total Population of Leh District
1981	8718	68380
1991	*	90200
2001	28639	117232
2011	45671**	133487

 

  

*Data not available.

**Spituk and Choglamsar were also included in the urban list and now the urban population is 45,671. Compiled based on Census of India (1981, 1991, 2001, 2011).

Though migration could not be stopped completely, and it is neither healthy but there must be an effort to arrest the growing trend of migration to maintain the sustainability of both rural villages and the city. To overcome the negative consequences of migration in Ladakh, necessary initiatives on the above-suggested ideas must be taken at the earliest. Leh has a comparatively low carrying capacity and the increasing trend of outmigration and abandonment of agriculture and villages to settle in Leh will have drastic consequences for both the areas of origin and destination. Suggestion It is for these reasons that policies to regulate and discourage rural-urban migration are often considered like devising new methods to enhance agricultural production and diversification, providing basic facilities in rural areas. Livelihood opportunities must be created at the village level by exploring innovative enterprises like promotion of rural tourism, training and skilling of unemployed youths. There is huge scope for commercial farming and organic farming in rural areas, especially in the Indus belt and the Nubra region of Ladakh. Livelihood opportunities and facilities available in urban areas must be created in rural areas to arrest the growing trend of unhealthy migration. Therefore, an active policy to strengthen the trends towards more balanced urbanisation becomes necessary. And an important aspect of such a policy would consist of ways of redirecting rural-urban migration away from Leh to the relatively smaller towns. Development of blocks like Khaltsi, Diskit, and Nyoma by offering educational institutions like colleges and healthcare and other facilities must be considered. It will have a multiplier effect on the opening of different livelihood opportunities in rural areas which will aid in reducing the undue pressure on Leh town.

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