Eighth PMF kicks off with Margalla hills cleanup, consultation
Participants collected a huge mass of waste thrown by the environment
unfriendly visitors to the trail 3
INP
ISLAMABAD
In connection with the 8th Pakistan Mountain Festival (PMF), members of the Islamabad Devcom Centennial Leo Club (IDCLC) and nature-loving citizens picked up garbage from the Margalla Hills Trail-3 on Sunday.
The hiking and community litter pick drive was organized by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) regarding PMF. The festival is an annual flagship public advocacy event of Devcom-Pakistan to mark the International Mountain Day (IMD). This year it is being supported by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP).
Deputy Mayor Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation, Zeeshan Ali Shah Naqvi and the Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director and the PMF founder Munir Ahmed led the Margalla Hills Trail-3 clean-up.
Speaking on the occasion, Munir Ahmed said the participants collected a huge mass of waste including plastic bottles, wrappers, tins, plastics, and shopping bags and food-packing thrown by the environment unfriendly visitors to the trail 3. The trash-throwing by the visitors on the hiking trails in the Margalla Hills continue despite of Islamabad Wildlife Board checking points.
Munir Ahmed said the natural ecology and habitats of mountains need to be protected for the sake of biological diversity, water and food security for human beings and other living species on the planet. We all depend extremely on water that flows down from the mountains. Therefore we need to protect everything that ensures availability of water every single day of the year.
He said the over whelming participation of youth in the Margalla Hills clean-up is a good sign and a maturity of youth towards nature conservation. The sensitized and environmentally engaged youth would become a real source for inspiration for others to take the green and clean practices in the society.
Munir Ahmed said, “The fragile mountain ecosystems are the lifeline of the living and breathing species including human beings, and they cannot be restored as actual if over exploited once, therefore, we need to be more conscious to conserve them.”
The PMF founder urged the Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) to take more vigorous action against the degrading Magalla Hills National Park.
The MCI Deputy Mayor, Zeeshan Ali Shah Naqvi said the corporation was all out to protect the green nature of the federal capital despite no funds available. He said the MCI would be implementing wholeheartedly the Clean and Green Pakistan initiative the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) without any discrimination of rural and urban areas. He said the MCI would encourage citizens’ engagement in the management and improvement of civic facilities. Engaging the youth in healthy and environment friendly practices would be one of the priorities for the MCI.
Zeeshan Naqvi said a cultural trail would be established from Shah Allah Ditta village to across the hills to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the regional have significant Budhist remains.
The IDCLC President Haares Munir said that Pakistan was the custodian of several highest altitude mountains, adding that, it is our collective responsibility to take care of the sanctity of the mountains that contribute a major chunk to our livelihood. He also pointed out that the indiscriminate deforestation by the timber cartels and housing mafia, increasing consumerism and over use of environment unfriendly vehicles and home appliances had increased the carbon foot print causing the climate change.
Haares said such kind of activities empowered youth to take up their leading role in society and at their workplaces. He urged the youth belonging to the mountainous region to feel the responsibility to raise their fearless voices against the exploitation of natural resources on the footsteps of their homes.
A day before, Islamabad Chaupal, organized by the C2D and Devcom-Pakistan, in its weekly meeting had a focused group discussion on ‘engaging citizens for the protection of Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP)’ as a kick-off event of the 8th Pakistan Mountain Festival. Dr Anis ur Rehman, the chairman of the Islamabad Wildlife Board, Zeeshan Shah Naqvi, Deputy Mayor MCI, Zubair Usmani, former Member Capital Development Authority (CDA), Dr Nadeem Omar, Izza Khan, Ayub Malik and Munir Ahmed briefed the participants about the history and nature of the Margalla Hills National Park.
Dr Anis ur Rehman said tree-cutting, fire, loss of biodiversity, littering, water scarcity are the key challenges the MHNP is facing. Lack of human and financial resources are the main hurdle in spreading its work and control over the entire park. We have controlled many violations but still need to work hard to save the MHNP from the mafias and cartels.