Due to apathy of visitors and lack of organisation on the part of CDA, the hiking trails have become littering ground
DUBAI: The hiking trails of Islamabad’s Margalla Hills are a gift of nature. These hills besides being home to some unique flora and fauna and various species of wild life are a natural escape for residents. They invite spectacular views of the city and offer a healthy routine to those who hike on the trails on a regular basis. These trails number about half a dozen and caters to both serious hikers and occasional enthusiasts, while other activities such as bird watching, rock climbing and paragliding are also beginning to take root.
Unfortunately, due to apathy of visitors and lack of organisation on the part of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the hiking trails have become littering grounds. People bring bags full of consumables up the trails and then leave them behind without taking care either to dispose of in apparently under-sized garbage collectors, or bring them down for removal.
Plastic shoppers, food and drink containers, bottles and other non-biodegradable materials are everywhere in sight, defacing nature. The litter is not only an eye sore and a blot on the reputation of one of the most beautiful capitals of the world, it also presents an immediate danger to natural environment of the hills. Desperate from this lack of awareness from the people and administration, a group of volunteers have taken up the task of cleaning the Margalla Hills’ trail number six on their own — collecting garbage left behind by others and bringing it to the nearest disposal area. The groups are not large in numbers but consist of active volunteers, who have raised the awareness on social media and are in parallel trying to invoke a response by the CDA. The volunteers maintain a Facebook page “Clean Islamabad Hiking Trails” and have submitted a proposal to the CDA suggesting a practical approach to ensure that people are held accountable for littering. One hopes that people learn from this volunteer group’s lead in enjoyment of these trails on a sustainable basis and the CDA takes immediate steps for the implementation of its own rules.
Shahid Siddiqi
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29th, 2016.
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