Eco reckoning

IT took a video by British vlogger George Buckley to jolt the Gilgit-Baltistan government into action and expose what the hospitality industry is doing to our mountain region.

- BY ZOFEEN T. EBRAHIM

Swift action by GB’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led to the authorities partially sealing the Luxus Resort at Attabad and fining it for dumping wastewater into the lake — which the resort denies. The issue of illegal expansion remains.

It’s time to hold the government accountable and ask it some tough questions. Why are hotels able to violate regulations so easily? Why don’t the authorities intervene the moment the first spade hits the ground? Why is action taken only after massive structures are in place and only when outsiders expose violations?

In the case of Luxus — and the string of hotels lining the lakeside — why was monitoring so lax? If the sewage treatment plant was missing or malfunctioning, why did it escape the authorities’ notice? The EPA may be severely understaffed — reportedly, just 15 personnel are responsible for the entire GB region — but what about the lake magistrate, deputed by the district administration?