Volunteers clean up Margalla hiking trails

Islamabad :Disappointed with the careless and irresponsible behaviour of the visitors of Margalla Hills hiking trails, a group of volunteers teamed up on the weekend to clean up the beautiful trails and the view points.

Islamabad is blessed with the beautiful surroundings. The Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) is the hallmark of its beauty. The Margalla Hills are the continuation of the Himalayan mountain range. The soil on the hill is fertile and completely covered with green trees, herbaceous plants and rocks.

The forest on the hills is the natural habitat for a variety of animals and birds. Margalla Hills National Park, spread over an area of 31,142 acres, is abundant with 616 plants species, 250 of birds, 38 of mammals and 13 species of reptiles. There are 6 main hiking trails leading to the top of the Margalla Hills which cater to both serious hikers and occasional visitors like tourists both local and foreigners. These hills besides being home to some unique flora and fauna and various species of wildlife are also generating interest of bird watching, rock climbing and paragliding.

Unfortunately, due to apathy of visitors and lack of organisation on the part of the park managers, the hiking trails have become littering grounds. People bring bags full of consumables up the trails and then leave behind plastic shoppers, food and drink containers, bottles and other non-biodegradable materials everywhere in sight. The litter is not only an eye sore and a blot on the reputation of one of the most beautiful capitals of the world; it also presents an immediate danger to natural environment of the hills.

Desperate from this lack of awareness from the people and administration, a small group of volunteers took the task of cleaning the Margalla Hills’ Trails on their own, collecting garbage left behind by others and bringing it to the nearest disposal area. The group is not large in numbers but consist of active volunteers, who have raised the awareness on social media and are in parallel trying to invoke a response by the authorities. An organised system of checking the trash on the Trails 5 and 6 has already been in place for the last few months.

The clea-up initiative was organized by the volunteers of Clean Islamabad Hiking Trails, Painting the Future and Islamabad Wildlife Management Board. About 40-50 volunteers including boys, girls and families joined the noble cause.

The volunteers organised at Margalla Zoo parking and moved to first view point after a small introductory session and instructions. Majority of view pointes were found oozing with garbage and almost ten times more was scattered within the surroundings. The group soon realized that it will take multiple days to clean up all view points, however, the decided to clear the constructed area of view points and some portion of its surroundings.

“The unwavering determination of volunteers made this event memorable. It was a fun, friendly and joyful activity for all,” said Irfan Siddique, one of the organisers. The teams once fully exhausted reached to Trail 5 information centre for well deserved refreshments followed by certificate ceremony.