Scenic beaches

Letter December 01, 2021
Scenic beaches

KARACHI:

Everyone is familiar with the beauty of Pakistan’s northern areas, but few have taken the time to discover the mesmerising charm of the country’s coast in the south. Balochistan is not just vast in terms of land but also has an abundance of beauty and resources. People from across the country come to the beaches of Balochistan for holidays. Huts are rented out on a per diem basis to picnickers and fishing sorties. During the summer, people come in large groups, extended families packed in coasters, vans, and buses hired for the day.

Unfortunately, these are the beaches that are neglected by the successive governments. Owing to this their beauty is tarnishing and decaying. The beaches attract scores of people from not just within Pakistan but tourists from across the world. Huge revenues can be generated through the coastal line of Balochistan if one knows the worth of these priceless beaches. Visitors bring cauldrons of biryani, crates of soft drinks, footballs, cricket bats, and other accoutrements necessary for a good picnic. But when they leave these beaches, they leave heaps of garbage behind including plastic waste that pollutes the beach and is harmful to marine life.

No budget is allocated for the maintenance of the beaches and the facilitation of tourism in the province. Consequently, the beaches are now decaying. Picnickers and transport drivers often exchange the oil of their vehicles and dispose of the unused oil and chemicals on the beaches. Due to this, the beaches are slowly losing their charm and becoming a health and safety hazard for visitors. The deteriorating state of the beaches will drive tourists away from the beaches. I want to request the Balochistan government to allocate a sufficient budget and ensure that the beaches are kept in a good condition. By saving our beaches from decaying, we can earn huge revenues through tourism.

Guldasta Arif

Lasbela

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2021.

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