IT is an experience no mountaineer wants or expects: the sight of heaps of trash and the stench of refuse left behind by expeditions past. Adventurers who visit Pakistan wishing to scale one of its many tall peaks come looking for unforgettable experiences — for challenges that test their grit and determination, for the breathtaking vistas from the roof of the world, and for a journey that is described almost reverentially as ‘deeply spiritual’. Yet, despite a major effort in the last few years to woo foreign tourists, it appears that our authorities are not prepared to adequately cater to these needs. Due to official negligence and a lack of responsibility on the part of climbers and their teams, the path up to the summit of K2 has now become littered with waste. This is a shame, as it will undoubtedly turn away people from visiting again in the future.

This year was a record in terms of the number of people who turned up to summit the mighty peak. However, it now represents a lost opportunity because of the negative message that went out to the world after many alpinists ended up complaining of widespread pollution on the world’s second-highest mountain. However, there is time still to fix the issues that have plagued Pakistan’s tourism industry. It is important to involve local communities in the clean-up effort — especially porters, who are an integral part of every expedition. It is important to impress upon them the need to keep our natural wonders pristine. These locals should be asked to lead the effort to protect the landscape, with the state providing incentives to compensate for their effort. These could take the form of, for example, an additional ‘preservation tax’ on licences granted to summit the various mountains, which is then spent on local communities’ needs. Such partnerships have worked very well in the past: one only needs to look at the successful conservation efforts to protect markhors and snow leopards for inspiration.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2022