Piles of trash mar Lake Saiful Malook’s beauty

Tourists face lack of facilities at lake

BALAKOT:

Another summer comes to pass, yet the atmosphere of Lake Saiful Malook remains dismal in terms of cleanliness and availability of facilities.

Blessed with the stunning scenery of a natural lake nestled between towering snow-capped mountains, the famous spot is a tourist magnet, attracting tens of thousands of holidaymakers and adventurers every day during high season.

However, the condition of the place has been deteriorating since quite a few years, with rubbish strewn all over and tourists bemoaning a general lack of facilities despite paying dearly for basic amenities.

Travellers from all over Pakistan visit the iconic lake at 10,578 feet above sea level to immerse in the idyllic weather, revel in the mesmerising scenery and recall the romantic folktale of fairy princess Badiul Jamal and Egyptian prince Saiful Malook, after whom the lake has been named.

Sadly, the experience is below-par for most. The deplorable condition of the road, which is allegedly a ploy of the ‘jeep mafia’ that resists any attempts to repair the thoroughfare between Naran and Lake Saiful Malook, makes the journey bone-jarring and exhausting.

High prices of commodities at the site create a sense of despair, while taxes collected in the name of tourism seem to go nowhere in improving the overall conditions of the place.

Visitors are charged an entry fee of Rs20 per person by the officials of wildlife department, who also collect Rs10,000 per business as licence fee from vendors plying their wares by the lakeside. However, no facilities whatsoever are provided.

Locals are seen manning the restrooms and charging Rs50 per tourist to make use of the lavatories.

The writ of the administration appears to be absent, with visitors being charged inflationary prices for horse-riding, boating and even eatables. A chicken egg being sold for Rs100 per unit is a case in point.

Furthermore, the lake, which holds the status of a national park, is treated as a dumping ground for trash by tourists and locals alike. Not only is there no enforcement of rules for cleanliness, but sanitary staff also remain conspicuous by their absence at the site.

Wildlife department’s sub-divisional officer Mumtaz Khan has said that actionable plans will soon be implemented to clean up the lake and ensure establishment and provision of facilities for the tourists.

He claimed that 10 members of the sanitary staff have been appointed to maintain cleanliness. “However, the large influx of tourists leaves a huge amount of trash each time they visit,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abid Shah, the president of the local business community, said that visitors are encouraged to register their complaints, which will be resolved at the earliest.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2022.