Karoonjhar Mountains go black and blue - literally

Activists launch cleaning drive, urge tourists to refrain from painting graffiti across the range

The beautiful Karoonjhar Mountains of Tharparkar are slightly marred these days. They are, quite literally, black and blue. Tainting its majestic stony architecture are names, contact numbers and random information, most of which is likely not to make much sense to those who see it, sprayed on in stubborn ink.

Agonised by the sullying of the mountains' naturally beautiful edifices, local activists and residents of Tharparkar partook in an eight-hour long 'Clean Karoonjhar' drive on Saturday, further urging tourists to refrain from writing on the mountains' ridges and sharing videos and pictures on social media platforms.

The site is believed to be one of the most frequented spots by tourists in Sindh. It is estimated that approximately 700,000 tourists have ventured to the mountains following the recent monsoon rains, given that tourist activity in the region usually peaks during this time of the year.

According to Zulfiqar Khoso, an activist participating in the cleaning drive, the registration data of vehicles visiting the site shows that over 180,000 vehicles, excluding motorcycles, came to the mountains over the last four months. "And this doesn't consider those who visited the mountains on August 14," he said, implying that hundreds would likely have come to the tourist spot on the public holiday.

"This remains one of the favourite travel destinations of Sindh's people, especially after the monsoon rains," he explained, though he lamented that the ugly chalking on the mountains had tarnished their beauty.

For another activist, Partab Shivani, joining the drive with his friends, it turned out to be near impossible to remove the writing on the mountains.

"We have hardly been able to remove any of it," he complained, further pointing out that tourists would openly litter the site without considering the impact on the environment and the mountains' beauty.

And so, the participants of the drive were also seen collecting garbage.

As Khoso pointed out, there was little else they could do apart from requesting people not to taint the mountains and keep the site clean. He said some of his friends had decided to install sign boards emblazoned with requests to not to write on the mountains' walls.

"We are not the government and we cannot deploy guards and set up cameras, but we do still request tourists to keep the mountains clean," he commented.

"But is it just the government's duty to keep the mountains clean?" questions Shivani. "We as citizens, too, need to care for our tourist spots," he said, adding that the drive was just the beginning of the initiative.

"We will continue trying to convince tourists to avoid writing on the mountains," he said resolutely. "Karoonjhar is [synonymous with] beauty and all those who visit it must make sure that it is preserved."

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2020.