UPPER DIR: The beautiful ‘Sadgai Lake’, surrounded by lush green mountains in picturesque Usheri Dara valley in Upper Dir, can become a great attraction for tourists if government pays attention to it.

The lake is situated at the height of round about 8,500 feet from sea level. It takes almost three to four hours to reach it on foot.

Tourists from Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Lahore, Multan, Karachi and other areas visit the lake to enjoy its natural beauty. However, they complain about shortage of basic facilities like road, guest houses and availability of mobile phone service.

Local people say the place can become a great attraction for tourists

Saqlain Afridi, a tourist from Kohat, said that it was a beautiful place and enjoyed its natural beauty. He said that he had visited many tourist resorts like Murree, Muzaffarabad, Kalam and Malamjaba but Sadgai Lake was unique.

Saifullah, a resident of Gandigar, said that he along with his guests visited the lake for the first time. He said that he was considering himself unlucky for not visiting Sadgai Lake earlier.

He said that the place was very beautiful but it was difficult for the tourists from other areas to visit it because of its tiresome route. “One of our guests from Lahore became tired and insisted on returning from midway,” he said. He added that government should build a road to Sadgai Lake to make accessible for tourists. “After watching the reflection of the nearby mountains and sky in the crystal clear water of the lake, you can find yourself in a valley of dreams,” said Mauz Khan, a tourist from Peshawar.

He said that he had never seen such romantic place. “I am planning to come to Sadgai Lake for honey moon next month. We will enjoy our honey moon here on the bank of Sadgai Lake,” he added.

The residents of the area said that they were organising a cricket tournament every year there to attract tourists.

Mohammad Tariq, a resident of Usheri Khas, said that Sadgai was a beautiful place and tourists should visit it at least once in life. He said that waterfalls, cold and clean water flowing from height and forests in the area were main attraction for tourists.

The local people and tourists demanded of the government to develop Sadgai Lake as a tourist spot. They said that Sadgai Lake could become a tourist resort if government paid attention to it by building a road and providing other facilities to the area.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2016