As a prime example of environmental catastrophe the once renowned hill station of Murree is hard to beat: unplanned and uncontrolled construction, lack of organised infrastructure, gutters spilling nauseating raw sewage, criminal loss of tree cover and seasonal influxes of visitors who have absolutely no respect for the natural world are killing what little remains.
This 'tourist town' extraordinaire as it used to be, was once known for its invigorating fresh air, its impressive natural greenery and sparkling streams, its hospitality and ambiance but, sadly, the Murree of those halcyon days has long disappeared to be replaced by the overcrowded, over constructed, dangerously dilapidated and blatantly filthy place it now is.
Consecutive governments pledged to control the environmental destruction of the area, some did indeed make an effort but all such programmes fizzled out pretty much overnight leaving half demolished hotels and apartment blocks in their wake which, years down the line, stand as incredibly dangerous monuments to perceived good intentions which came to naught.
An almost total lack of such a simple facility as garbage bins in Murree proper and throughout the area as a whole, means that people, both indigenous and visitors alike, simply dump their garbage in the nearest convenient spot be this in the street or on the closest mountain side. As a result items including the ubiquitous plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic cups, disposable nappies, empty tins and cartons of all descriptions litter the landscape in all directions. The local authority doesn't help in this respect as any garbage it does collect is dumped in the remains of once scenic forests, to be periodically set fire to, the noxious fumes further poisoning an already heavily polluted atmosphere.
Everywhere there happens to be a smidgen of space, on or off the main road system, is, sooner or later turned into a building site, the resultant construction always breaking local planning laws of ground plus two storeys and few, if any of them, included fully functional sewerage systems in their plans. Land immediately downhill of developed areas, this actually means everywhere, is impregnated with raw sewage and other waste water to the point of it being completely unsafe to walk on if, that is, anyone is brave or silly enough to dare.
It is true to say that 'beautification' programmes are launched every now and then: these generally include yet another attempt at creating something attractive in the relatively open area half way along the notorious Mall. However, as this always includes demolishing whatever structure was standing there before to replace it with an ill conceived new one, nothing much is ever achieved aside from an ugly, dusty, dirty building site in which a few hardy people linger in disgust.
Other beautification programmes, such as the superficial decoration of main arteries with pots and baskets of seasonal plants achieve absolutely nothing in the long term and are a complete waste of increasingly precious water, which is often in short supply during the tourist season, in the short term. The ability to envisage a sustainable future for the area, both within and outside the ‘city’, appears to be beyond the capabilities of those who should be concerned as permanent planting of trees, to replace those illegally felled, have only occurred on armed forces’ controlled land and that under the direct control of either the TMA or the Cantonment Board.
The few remaining 'old' buildings, some of them standing since the mid to late 1800s when the British Raj first developed Murree as a resort, are mostly in an advanced state of disrepair yet, a small percentage of them could still be successfully renovated to provide points of interest for the tourist trade and one of them could even be established as a museum but, unfortunately, any initiative is totally lacking.
A number of these historical buildings, quite a few of them being in Lower Bazaar and further down the hill below Murree proper in Sunny Bank, are being left to rot on purpose as, when they eventually fall down of their own volition, the land they currently occupy will be snapped up for multi-storey abominations. Admittedly the ownership of some historical buildings has been in dispute since partition and, until the unlikely event of cases being settled to everyone's satisfaction, nothing can be done to preserve them which is sad.
As it stands, and before it slides to oblivion under its own momentum, Murree is no longer worth visiting and people dreaming of pristine environments should travel elsewhere as, perhaps, when those reaping financial benefits from the ugly chaos they have created find their profits evaporating, they may be jolted into taking remedial action. Even at this late stage, it is not too late to salvage at least some of the environmental beauty there once was.