Artists lead initiative for cleaning tourist sites

Islamabad : Participants of an art retreat held in Naran mobilised tourists to preserve the country’s scenic spots by keeping them clean and free of litter.

The first activity was held at Lulusar Lake on August 2 and the second at Lake Saiful Muluk on August 4. The initiative was taken as part of the ‘Art for Climate Change’ retreat organised by Gallery6 from July 31 to August 6.

The retreat was jointly sponsored by PTDC, Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change and the Snow Leopard Foundation. East West Center Association, Islamabad Chapter, joined it for the special activity of mobilising action to keep the beautiful places clean. The intention was to clean selected places with the participation of artists and visiting tourists; to spread messages (through social media) advocating and urging visitors not to litter; and also to pick up the mess spread by others.

During the first activity held at Lulusar Lake, EWCA-IC members and participants of the retreat spread on various banks of the lake, carrying biodegradable bags. They picked up non degradable garbage (including plastic bottles, wrappers of chips and other snacks, plastic shoppers, and pampers, etc.) scattered by tourists. The group gave the activity a slogan ‘Hamara Pakistan – Saaf Pakistan,’ which appealed not only to the visitors but also to area locals. Families and groups picnicking on the spot and locals joined the effort and started collecting the garbage. Many visitors took pictures to upload on social media to spread the message. Some even made videos and interviewed the group members to upload on their pages or blogs.

The second activity held at lake Saiful Muluk also saw a large crowd coming forward to take biodegradable bags from the group and clean the banks of the lake.

Besides Dr. Arjumand Faisel, who is the President of EWCA-IC, other prominent individuals who took part in the activity were Syed Abu Ahmad Akif,Tariq Zameer, Afia Salam, and Irfan Gul Dahri.