SWAT: The Swat River, once a favourite spot for swimmers and picnickers, is fast turning into a perilous stretch of water as illegal gravel mining leaves behind deep pits that have claimed dozens of lives in recent years.

Despite a provincial government’s ban, miners continue to dig the riverbed with heavy machinery, carving out ditches that locals describe as “death traps”. Environmentalists warn that the unchecked activity is also wreaking havoc on aquatic life and eroding the valley’s famed scenic beauty.

The official data released by the Swat Rescue 1122 paints a grim picture. It shows that 31 drowning incidents were reported in 2024, with 26 people losing their lives. The toll has risen this year: between January and September 26, 2025, there have been 38 emergencies, resulting in 32 deaths. Only a handful of victims were rescued alive.

“These ditches are silent killers,” said Abdul Wahid, a resident of Mingora, who has witnessed several accidents. “People, especially children, enter the river without realising how deep it suddenly gets. Within seconds, they disappear.”

Environmental experts say the practice is not only illegal but also ecologically destructive. “Gravel mining, if done unscientifically, alters the river’s natural flow, destroys fish habitats and destabilises the ecosystem,” said Dr Zubair Ahmad from the environmental sciences department of the University of Malakand.

“If excavation is unavoidable, it must be carried out under strict guidelines – limited to shallow designated zones, after environmental impact assessments, and never during fish spawning seasons.”

Local activists have repeatedly raised the issue with the district administration. “We have submitted reports, organised awareness drives, and even staged protests, but the activity goes on,” said Shazia Bano, a member of a Swat-based environmental group.

“The green riverbanks where families once picnicked now look like wasteland.”

Residents insist the government must either enforce a total ban or regulate mining under scientific supervision. “We lost our cousin last year in one of these pits,” recalled Mohammad Iqbal, a villager from Kabal.

With drowning cases rising and the Swat River’s charm fading, campaigners say urgent action is needed to save both human lives and the valley’s natural heritage. Until then, the river that once symbolised life and leisure risks being remembered as a river of death.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2025