March 06, 2007	Tuesday	Safar 16, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, March 5: Non-implementation of the environmental laws is mainly responsible for the destruction of flora and fauna in the Northern Areas. This observation was made during a seminar organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) titled ‘Tourism year 2007: environmental concerns’ here on Monday.

The speakers were of the view that over the years lack of adequate planning by the government and other stakeholders had led to the destruction of the rich ecology of the Northern Areas. There is a need for emergency measures to implement Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (Pepa) 1997 otherwise it would be too late to reverse the loss the area has suffered, they said.

Dr Mahmood A. Khawja, a research fellow at the SDPI, said the government was taking every possible measure to promote tourism but it was paying little attention towards preservation of environment.

“There is no second opinion that tourism has become one of the profit-making industries in the world but sustainable tourism has also become an equally important concern to look at,” Dr Khwaja said. According to one estimate, he added, there would be one billion tourists movement worldwide by the year 2010. Similarly, 3.8 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) comes from tourism, he said.

Referring to Pepa, Dr Khawja argued that the law did not effectively address environmental protection vis-a-vis tourism, and so far the government has not developed its rules and regulations.

Talking about Shandur polo festival, Dr Khawja said though it had become a national event but every year a large number of participants leave behind heaps of garbage at the venue. Around 25 tons of solid waste is generated with no mechanism for its proper disposal after the festival. The uncollected waste degenerates into various kinds of chemicals that spoiled both water and soil of the area.

There have been cases of livestock deaths, as the area is used for grazing by the locals.

Altaf Hussain, a development researcher showed a documentary on the Shandur festival. He said there was still confusion under whose jurisdiction — Chitral or Gilgit — the Shandur polo ground fell.

In response to a question, he said the 1997 environment law also covered the Northern Areas.

Though the Shandur festival is fast becoming a mega event with prime minister or the president its chief guest, but it is literally destroying ecology of the area.

Mohammad Akhtar Cheema of the IUCN said during the last Shandur festival over 50,000 tourists ventured to the venue.

There are 19 national parks and 270 protected areas in the country but none of them is preserved according to the international standards. He called for the private-public cooperation to promote sustainable development.