Margalla Hills are a great natural resource not only for the residents of Islamabad but for the entire Potohar region. The designated hiking trails and the residential areas of Islamabad have been polluted by human activities and unhindered littering by the people who use these areas and cleaning its environs is a major challenge for CDA.
Consistent with these ambitions, Cleanup Pakistan organised an informal volunteering activity hiking/cleanup event at the popular Trail number three, titled ‘Hike2Clean’ on 24th December, 2011. The launch of the activity was attended by over sixty participants from all walks of life to encourage Cleanup Pakistan to organise more events in the future at other venues.
The organisers of the event believed the people needed to be made aware about the affects of littering and law enforcement mechanisms needed to be put in place. CDA and the residents of Islamabad needed to collaborate to maintain the natural beauty of Islamabad.
Cleanup Pakistan believes that it is not just about picking up rubbish and cleaning an area temporarily. Instead they want to work alongside government organisations, NGO’s, local people, businesses, tourists and schools to provide sustainable solutions, ensuring rubbish is disposed of correctly and as much of it as possible is reused or recycled The recently launched anti-littering campaign by CDA is a positive step in the right direction. However, stricter laws need to be implemented to stop illegal construction and deforestation activity in the protected ‘Margalla Hills Natural Park’.
