PESHAWAR:Sarhad Conservation Nature (SCN), an advocacy body striving for conservation of environment, heritage and culture, has requested Commissioner Hazara Division for enforcing the law to protect Lake Saiful Muluk National Park from pollution, degradation of landscape.
In an application submitted with Commissioner Hazara Division, Convener, Sarhad Conservation Network, Dr Adil Zareef submitted that Lake Saiful Muluk had been declared as National Park in 2003 and its protection falls under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife and Biodiversity (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) Act 2015.
The objective behind declaring of Lake Saiful Muluk as National Park was to protect the picturesque landscape and biodiversity associated with it.
The Act of 2015 under section 29, subsection (g) to (i) “prohibits polluting water, littering and dumping of waste, defacing and wall chalking, use of vehicles except on recognized roads, blowing of pressure horns and making noise.
But, unfortunately all of the above rules were being violated owing to weak enforcement, leading to fast deterioration of the landscape, with a very adverse impact on environment and ecotourism, the application added.
Foreign and local tourists who choose to visit Pakistan because of its pristine forests, landscapes and fauna are shocked to see the ecological degradation as protected reserves like this National park, are becoming huge garbage dumps.
Local jeeps drive off road around the periphery of the lake, 200 shops and khokhas have sprung up leading to heaps of garbage and litter around the periphery. Urgent steps needed to reverse this trend, it added.
In short the existing National & KP National Reserve rules, need to be revised in view of the emerging concept of ecotourism, with well-defined management tools and roles of various stakeholders, Dr Adil suggested.
Commercial activities also be restricted/ banned in the protected park reserve, and relocated outside the reserve demarcation, he added.