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Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Pakistan's GB bans construction of new hotels around lakes, earning praise from environmentalists, residents
KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: Environmental experts, residents and activists have praised the government's move this week to ban the construction of new hotels around lakes in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region for five years, noting it would help protect the area's natural sites. Pakistan's mountainous GB region is home to over 13,000 glaciers, more than any other country apart from the polar regions, as well as picturesque lakes, orchards and mountains. As per the GB Tourism Department, over one million tourists visited the area in 2024. The rise of tourism in the area has led to the construction of new hotels, which have sparked concerns of increasing pollution, waste, lack of regulation and straining of water and power resources in the area. A video by foreign vlogger George Buckley in June, showing allegedly untreated sewage being discharged into the region's picturesque Attabad Lake, went viral on social media. It prompted calls for thorough checks and inspections of hotels in the area. 'Gilgit-Baltistan is becoming a forest of concrete due to the influx of tourism,' Syed Asrar ul Hasnain, an official of GB's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), told Arab News over the phone. 'The region was going toward an unregulated type of development. Due to this situation, our department sent a recommendation to the government to ban the issuing of NOCs [no objection certificates] for the new construction of hotels,' he added. Hasnain vowed that authorities would ensure that hotels that were already functional in the region would also be monitored. 'The main objective behind the ban is the protection of natural beauties and the environment,' he said. 'And initially, the ban is for five years.' Kamal Khan, commissioner for the Baltistan region, said the construction of new hotels near lakes and 'environmentally sensitive regions' in all four districts of the Baltistan region has been banned as well. He stressed that sewerage treatment plants (STPs) should be part of hotels constructed near water bodies. '[Unfortunately], the operational hotels don't have STPs in the region,' Khan said. 'And after filling the pits, the sewage water is mixed in the water body, and it is hazardous for human life and health.' Noting that GB has a 'fragile environment,' Khan vowed to protect it through such measures. 'We have directed all existing and functional hotels to make STPs in their hotel, if the hotels have a high number of rooms,' the commissioner said. 'If they do not implement our order, we will seal the hotels.' 'GOOD OMEN' Dr. Salaar Ali, head of the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Baltistan, appreciated the government's move, saying it would help protect the natural environment. 'The lakes are not only a tourist destination, but many like Sadpara Lakes are a source of drinking water for the residents,' Dr. Ali told Arab News. 'And the protection of these lakes and areas should be our priority.' He also called on authorities to ban the use of motorboats in the region, saying they were responsible for littering in freshwater bodies. Kiran Qasim, a resident of Gilgit and a journalist, described the ban as a 'very effective' measure, saying it would also help mitigate the effects of climate change. 'The construction around natural lakes also disturbs plants, birds and fish, etcetera,' she explained. 'Instead of imposing a ban for only five years, the ban should be for a long period.' Zahoor Ilahi, a social activist from Hunza Valley, said authorities should promote environmentally friendly constructions such as huts. 'On the other side, multi-story buildings are dangerous for our environment,' he said. 'And there should be no exception for big investors. Laws should be implemented equally.' Manzoor Hussain, the president of the Hotel Association of Hunza, described the ban as a 'good omen' but echoed the same concern. 'We second this move, but there should be no difference between the rich and the poor,' Hussain said, calling on authorities to seal hotels that don't meet environmental standards. 'The laws should be implemented to protect the environment, in a real manner, not just to get fame on social media,' Hussain said.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- BBC News
Attabad Lake: The stunning legacy of a natural disaster
When a massive landslide dammed the Hunza River, it destroyed villages – and created one of the most breathtaking lakes in Pakistan. When Lauren Winslow-Llewellyn saw a photo of Attabad Lake in Pakistan's Hunza Valley pop up on her social media feed, she immediately went into planning mode. "[It] was taken from up high, not from a drone but a hiking trail... someone was precariously sitting on the edge of a cliff above vibrant blue water," she said. Based in south-east England, Winslow-Llewellyn and partner Craig Hubbard, known online as the Non Stop Travelling couple, work seasonal hospitality jobs between their trips to save up for their next adventure. After studying foreign travel advisory sites, mapping safe paths and scouring Google Earth, all that was left was to reach Hunza's capital, Karimabad, as their base camp and hitch a ride to the trailhead. Perched atop an open truck piled high with rugs and appliances, the couple and a local family barrelled through tunnels, wind whipping their faces and laughter spilling into the air – until, suddenly, Attabad Lake burst into view, majestically blue and breathtaking, ringed by arid peaks jutting straight out of glacial water. "It's probably my favourite memory of our time in Pakistan," said Winslow-Llewellyn. "It felt like we were on a crazy rollercoaster ride." Pakistan was their 88th country, but even for seasoned travellers, the drama of the Gilgit-Baltistan region stood out. "We've become a little spoilt to say the least," Winslow-Llewellyn smiled. But, "the views in Gilgit-Baltistan were dramatic, even before the hikes began". A landscape shaped by extremes "The Karakoram ranges are [one of] the highest, steepest mountains on Earth – greater even than the Himalaya," said Professor Mike Searle, Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford. From riverbed to mountaintop, Hunza Valley doesn't rise; it lunges from 1,850m to 7,788m. The 6km vertical gain is a stretch of earth and stone so steep it turns roads into legends. Chief among them is the Karakoram Highway, the highest paved road on Earth, often called the world's eighth wonder. But such epic terrain comes with danger stitched into every slope. Along the Karakoram Highway, hand-built barricades and hours-long delays due to landslides are routine. Winslow-Llewellyn recalls a harrowing encounter with a fresh mudslide – a crushed car hundreds of metres below and locals casually making their way across shifting ground. "It was eye-opening… to see how fragile life is and how vulnerable people are in this setting," she says. Amid this restless landscape, Attabad Lake is a striking case of beauty born from disaster, and a vivid reminder of nature's force and fallout. The lake that wasn't supposed to exist On 4 January 2010, a massive landslide dammed the Hunza River for five months. By late January, water levels were rising by 1.1m per day, according to Nasa data. Users on Earth and Space Science blogs spoke about the cataclysmic event with a kind of reverent thrill – how a formation that usually takes geologic ages was unfolding within a single human lifespan, shaped by rupture and growing in real time. By June, the newly formed lake stretched 21km long and more than 100m deep, swallowing Shishkat village and partially flooding the town of Gulmit. Twenty people died, 6,000 were displaced and a 25km stretch of the Karakoram Highway was destroyed, along with six bridges. In 2012, blasting lowered the lake's level by 10m, and a $275m (£202m) project rerouted the highway, adding five tunnels to restore the road to Xinjiang, China, and making the region more accessible. Today, Attabad Lake has become "a must-visit destination", known for its piercing, cobalt-blue waters and stark mountain backdrop, says Misa Talpur, one of Pakistan's pioneering solo female travellers. But the past still lingers below the surface, with remnants of submerged orchards and rooftops frozen in time. A new lifeline for locals Despite its tragic origins, the lake has become a rare source of economic opportunity. "Attabad Lake is fully served by local Shisket families directly impacted by the landslide," said Talpur, who is now a licensed tour manager. Dozens of food kiosks, handicraft shops and boating facility providers have sprung up around the lake, bringing income to the affected families, while larger hotels lease land from local families, generating further revenue. More like this:• Pakistan's lost city of 40,000 people• Chap shuro: Pakistan's iconic 'healthy pizza'• The road that's the 'Eighth World Wonder' Sania Malik, a training officer at AKAH (Aga Khan Agency for Habitat) notes there is a robust system of female entrepreneurs selling handicrafts and food items, and the community is rebuilding stronger than ever. In the village of Shisket, which has a population of just 3,000, Malik recently trained 75 locals in emergency response. "We predominantly try to empower women to become first responders," she said, "They're the ones managing on a homestead level." Talpur leads at least five to six tours to Attabad Lake in peak tourist season from June to September, and says that local tourists love to boat, jetski and zipline over the lake. They can also walk along the lakeside promenade and enjoy local cuisine at the lake-edge tea stalls. However, she recommends hiking up to Baskochi Meadows for the best vantage point. "It gives you an incredible bird's eye view," Talpur says – especially at sunset for breathtaking photography opportunities as the mountains shimmer golden. The lake also hosts frequent bonfire nights and musical events in the summer. Many travellers also visit the legendary Hussaini Suspension Bridge and the cathedral-esque, often-photographed craggy spires of the Passu Cones – both just around a 30-minute drive from the lake. The lake's central location also means travellers can explore the Hopper Glacier, roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive away. With its black ice and surrounding peaks, it is another dramatic example of the shapeshifting landscape of Gilgit-Baltistan. Alternatively, many plan day trips to the ancient Altit and Baltit Forts – more than 900- and 700-year-old vestiges of ancient royal architecture – to get a glimpse of the region's royal past. An uncertain future Yet there's no guarantee this popular travel destination will last. "Everything depends on how well-cemented the landslide debris [is]," said Searle. A sudden breach – triggered by something like a major earthquake – could drain the entire lake and "cause disastrous flood damage all the way down to Gilgit and beyond", he adds. Studies of silt deposits indicate that the lake is shrinking over time. Ephemeral as it may be, Attabad Lake leaves a lasting impression. In the meadows above the lake, Winslow-Llewellyn and Hubbard met a family and asked to purchase fresh apricots, and were, of course, invited in. Over tea and bread, a young nephew revealed two of his siblings died in the landslide. "The kindness and smiles were contagious," Winslow-Llewellyn said, "Somehow it feels more real when you meet people directly affected by the disaster." And it's those people, not just the landscapes, that stay with you. "Pakistan didn't just wow us with its huge snow-capped mountains and jaw dropping lakes," she said, "the people [were] the most genuinely friendly and hospitable people we've ever come across." For a lake that was never meant to exist, now, it's difficult to imagine a trip to Hunza, Pakistan, without it. To Talpur, Attabad Lake is testament that tragedy can be beautiful. "We often think a tragedy is the end," she says, "But when something is broken and rebuilt, it's much stronger." -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Arab News
19-06-2025
- Arab News
Locals in Pakistan's Hunza Valley call for action against hotels ‘polluting' Attabad Lake
KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: Local social activists in Pakistan's northern Hunza Valley are demanding strict action against hotels operating around Attabad Lake for failing to meet environmental standards, after a video by a foreign vlogger alleging untreated sewage discharge into the lake went viral on social media this week. Attabad Lake was formed in 2010 when a massive landslide blocked the Hunza River, killing 20 people and submerging villages and a stretch of the strategic Karakoram Highway that links Pakistan to China. Over the years, the lake has become a major tourist attraction, driving a boom in hotel construction along its banks. Following the viral video by travel vlogger George Buckley, officials from the Gilgit-Baltistan Environmental Protection Agency (GBEPA) and local administration inspected the hotel's premises and sewage facilities on Tuesday. 'We have fined Rs 1.5 million ($5,300) on [Luxus Hunza Attabad Lake Resort] hotel after the inspection,' Khadim Hussain, a director at the EPA, confirmed to Arab News. 'A portion of the resort has been sealed for the period of three months. And if they don't develop a waste treatment plan within the stipulated period of time, the [whole] facility will be sealed and imposed more fines.' He added: 'The action against the hotels that are not complying [with] environmental standards continues in the region before the video of a foreign vlogger.' Residents say pollution caused by unchecked hotel expansion is now threatening Attabad Lake's clear blue water, which draws thousands of tourists every year. 'Solid waste is becoming a big issue in the surrounding areas of Attabad Lake and especially on river banks due to the construction of hotels,' Shahid Hussain, a local social activist and politician, told Arab News by phone. 'When the level of the water [in the lake] increases during summer, the level of sewage waste in soakage pits also rises and merges into the lake. This is deteriorating the natural beauty of Attabad Lake.' He stressed: 'The environmental protection authority has fined one hotel. And this is not a permanent solution. The administration and EPA should give a proper mechanism to protect nature and clean water.' Another activist, Zahoor Ilahi, echoed the call for tougher enforcement. 'Initially, when locals started to build miniature resorts and hotels, the municipal and district administration teased the locals in the name of NOC [No Objection Certificate],' he said. 'Later big investors came to the region and built big hotels, and there is no treatment plant for sewage waste. If the [Luxus] hotel has no treatment plan, then the whole resort should be sealed instead of imposing a fine on them.' Ilahi warned that untreated wastewater could also threaten local drinking water projects: 'A project is underway to supply drinking water from Attabad Lake for central Hunza under a federal PSDP project. So, the protection of clean water is very much needed. If the government fails to protect the clean water, it will multiply the miseries of locals.' In a Facebook post, the Luxus Resort rejected the allegations. 'Attabad Lake formed in 2010. Before Luxus Hunza opened its doors to tourists in 2019, no one had experienced this majestic lake up close. This lake has been home for us for the last six years. It is the reason and purpose of our existence. To dump sewage water into the lake would be like desecrating our own house. We have never nor will we ever dump a single liter of waste water into Attabad Lake,' the hotel management said. It added that the cloudy appearance of the lake near the hotel was due to natural sediment from mountain streams mixing with the clear lake water, not sewage discharge. Arab News attempted to contact a representative of Luxus Hotel Hunza for further comment but did not receive a response by the time of filing this report.
