The road not taken care of

The famous trekking track in Islamabad known as Trail-5 is slowly losing its natural fresh look because of littering.

Trekkers turn right off the Shahrah-e-Iqbal to the parking at the foot of Trail-5 ready for an adventure into nature complete with fresh air and abundant greenery. The first welcome they get is a stingy odour emanating from huge dumps of garbage cans just next to the track.

A local man maintained that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) regularly clear these dumps, adding that it seems hygeine was not a priority for CDA officials.

The track is a ‘more’ wildlife-friendly place as creatures from the jungle, like monkeys, jackals and wild boars, frequently stray over to savour the leftovers from the garbage dumps.

Habiba Tariq, a frequent hiker said: “I like to interact with nature and animals, but a monkey enjoying potato chips in the middle of the track is a bit too much.”

Mudassir Khan, who goes for a hike to Trail-5 every evening, summed it all up: “You really get annoyed by the (stinky) smell, which greets you just at where the track begins. As if this is not enough, the abundance of garbage invites animals on to footpath, which is dangerous.”

However, Ramzan Sajid, the spokesperson for CDA, said that the garbage dumps were cleared on time. Sajid denied assertions that the sanitation staff was slack.

“They [the CDA staff] should be more vigilant. There are days when garbage is not properly disposed. When this happens, the place gives a totally different outlook,” said Abdul Ahad, another trekker.

Visitors at Trail-5 should also blamed for not properly disposing bottles and wrappers. The track is dotted with dustbins and there are ample signboards urging visitors against littering, but people continue to throw waste on the ground.

“It is easy to blame the CDA, but trekkers should also try to keep the place clean. People come here to have a good time, exercise or just for the fresh air. They should care for others too,” said Bilal Hakeem, an environmentalist.

Ramzan Sajid expressed his frustration over the lack of ‘civic responsibility’ exhibited by people thronging the trail.

“Much effort has been made to create awareness among the hikers regarding littering. But all in vain,” he said.

He added that CDA put up dustbins all along the track and erected notice boards before the place became a ‘garbage dump’. “The hikers should act more responsibly. I know they can’t put away the wrappers in their pockets but they should use the dustbins. We will also try to be more efficient,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12^th, 2010.