Hiking trails again closed for one week

Islamabad : The walking trails have again been closed for one week to conduct a complete survey to get to know the real cause of recent fire incidents in the forest areas of Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP).

According to the notification issued by the ICT administration “In the wake of recent fire incident at Margalla Hills it has been decided to conduct a complete fire audit of the area and to protect Margalla Hills forest, therefore, all trekking trails in Margalla Hills Islamabad shall remain closed for one week starting 22nd Dec to 29th Dec 2020 for audit of fire incidents, cleanliness and maintenance purposes.”

Some 3,000 trekkers and visitors daily come to four walking trails to enjoy a green, calm, and serene environment in the heart of the national park. There are also two other walking trails that are being developed for the visitors.

There are some fire incidents in the recent past that raised eyebrows of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), Capital Development Authority (CDA), and the ICT administration that have a collective responsibility to protect the national park.

All of them sat together and decided that a fire audit should be conducted to find out the factors that caused fire incidents in the forest areas. They are facing another big challenge of cleanliness that is not only adversely affecting the natural beauty but also posing threats to the bird and animal species in the national park.

The IWMB carries out a cleanliness drive every Saturday and Sunday and nature lovers and social activists also participate in it with passion and determination. A number of awareness campaigns have recently been launched to make people aware of the importance of the natural environment and bird and animal species that help maintain ecological settings in the area.

The officials of the IWMB have appealed to the visitors to take extreme care while visiting the walking trails and avoid throwing litter and doing barbecues and other activities that are strictly banned in the national park.