KALLAR KAHAR: The unchecked and unwanted human activities along the Kallar Kahar lake, a popular natural recreational spot located in Tehsil Kallar Kahar, are adversely affecting its pristine beauty.
The lake situated at a distance of about 131 kilometres from Islamabad, is easily accessible through Motorway-2 at Kallar Kahar interchange. Through the slip road, the visitors can reach the destination at a stone throw’s distance.
Piles of trash and leftovers cannot skip the tourists’ eyes dumped along the two-lane meandering road along eight kilometres periphery of the lake.
The famed Salt Lake situated at an altitude of above a thousand feet above the sea level with approximately five-six-meter-deep water and surrounded by greenish hills now attracts fewer flocks of migratory birds.
Though, the lake once considered as the ideal fly route for different species of migratory birds during the winter months no longer attracts different varieties of winged creatures due to the continuous hullabaloo associated with the human presence.
The small bevvy of black and silver headed small ducks can be seen swimming on the greenish-pale water of the lake while beneath its surface; shoals of little fish are easily discernible swarming its banks.
“You can only find ducks in the lake waters. We have not seen swans or cranes swarming its waters,” Muhammad Azlan, a frail villager with cranky faced lamented.
The lake is also surrounded with Loquats trees and offers the Takht-e-Babri, a carved-out piece of stone which according to historical narrations engraved there, was constructed on the orders of the founder of Mughal dynasty, Zaheerud Din Babar during 1519 AD.
Tourists and travellers from the nearby areas and those plying between Lahore and Islamabad on the motorway in small multitudes often make a brief stopover at the lake which hosts a lot of recreational paraphernalia including pedal boating and motor boating.
But the unchecked mushrooming of restaurants, eateries and recreational facilities which sprung around its banks, are gradually spoiling the natural habitat.
The roadsides and banks are littered with all sorts of trash and garbage left behind by the revellers, whereas these constructions also block the panorama of the verdant surroundings.
Mahrukh Munawar, accompanying a group of tourists from Lahore, expressed her dismay over the human tainted scenery. “I have heard about this place which offered soothing effects amid the fevers and frets of modern life, but the recreational spots and eateries have certainly put an undesirable blot on the gorgeous face of nature.”
Musawar Malik, another tourist, emphasised upon raising all-inclusive awareness campaign among the visitors and shopkeepers regarding leftovers and heaps of litter to avoid environmental degradation.
Others demanded the concerned authorities swing into action least it is too late to turn the tide of commercialisation and wanton human interference taking a toll on the natural spot.