OUR capacity to ruin nature in the name of development and tourism is beyond comprehension. Murree, which was once considered an idyllic summer retreat for the families, is now a concrete jungle dotted by garbage dumps. A little further up the north, the Galiyat region is following suit with unplanned construction and zoning. Multi-storeyed buildings are the norm up in the mountains, with no checks and balances on sewage and garbage disposal, parking spaces or basic buildinglaws. On a recent trip to Skardu and Hunza, I was shocked to see the same trend prevailing there. The Upper Kachura Lake, which was once a scenic location, is no different from the Mall Road in Murree.

Even Deosai plains, which were once considered inaccessible, have a deluge of tourists visiting. There are garbage dumps even at places like Zero Point, with plastic bottles and wrappers strewn all over, disrupting the fragile ecosystem of the surroundings. The brown bears of Deosai are so used to feeding on garbage that instead of foraging for food, they look for garbage dumps to feed on.

We keep talking of Pakistan as being one of the countries that are at extreme risk of climate change, but what are we doing to counter this climate change? Is there any check on deforestation and new construction, especially in areas close to glaciers? There is not a single waste disposal unit in the mountains. The garbage is either burnt or dumped, if not thrown into the river.

Record-breaking temperatures have been noted in Chilas, Bunji and other areas.

These rising temperatures would alarmany government to spring into action, but we apparently think that lip service alone will tackle climate change.

The government needs to wake up from its slumber, and look for effective measures and solutions to keep a check on new construction, limiting the number of shops and bazaars. No hotels and restaurants should be allowed to operate on the banks of rivers and lakes.

Local administrations need to come up with innovative ways of increasing revenues from tourists by imposing fee, if needed, to ensure proper waste disposal.

Else, Pakistan`s mountains will soon be turned into waste dumps, and we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

Sehar Zaman Lahore