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| Pity couldn't take better pictures. |
Sundarjal being one of the weekend hotspot nearest to the Kathmandu valley attracts massive crowd for various recreational activities like hiking, picnic, camping, etc. And last weekend like many of our fellow hikers we approached the uphill trails to Sundarijal (Shivapuri National Park) to participate in some recreational activity until we became part of this overwhelming crowd completely taking us totally off guard as we were not expecting such huge crowd compared to the handful of people who used to crawl to this beautiful little village all the way from Kathmandu to enjoy “chyang and sukuti “.
Although the increasing number of tourists can be taken as the positive aspect of tourism development in the area, sadly the deteriorating environment doesn’t seem worth welcoming people who cannot and doesn’t want to respect the nature. Despite the numbers of rubbish pits being placed all over the area the plastic covers & bags can be found scattered just about everywhere within and outside the National Park area. Moreover what was the most alarming thing was the drying river! Now I am not sure if it’s supposed to be like that during this time of year or not but the lack of water in the river compared to what I had seen back in 2007 (a clear water river flowing with high current) was simply daunting. The river was almost non existent compared to what it once used to be! And as we explored the nooks and crannies of the drying river, we could find plastic bags/covers and bottles scattered almost everywhere.
Whether we blame it on to the reckless people who cannot even manage to drop those litters in the nearby rubbish pits or the administration of the National Park which has not effectively implemented rules/regulations to control such imprudence, but the bottom line is the whole place is turning into a dumping site. If not taken proper actions to control the situation soon Sunadrijal will be deserted with nothing but heaps of trash.
After seeing such heartwrenching state of what once used to be the eptomime of natural beauty makes me realize how irresponsibly we “the humans” can act? In spite of the fact that we are taught in the school/home since early age that we should keep our surroundings (environment) clean yet we ignore them and hesitate to participate in activities that can lessen the pollution around us.
I mean how hard can it be to collect the garbage and dump it in the pit?
Keeping an eye on every visitor is not an easy task, however if we keep an eye on ourselves and people around us by not dumping the wastages everywhere and anywhere convenient then we surely will be able to make a huge difference. So next time be it mineral water bottle or the small tissue paper you use to wipe your face make sure not to throw it “kuna ma”. Carry them with you until you find rubbish pit. After all the weight of small amount of wastes is far easier to carry than the weight of effects of the pollution that it might generate eventually.
