GILGIT: Pakistan has announced a five-year ban on the construction of new hotels around northern lakes popular with tourists, a government agency confirmed.
The move comes amid growing alarm over unregulated hotel and guesthouse development in Gilgit-Baltistan, a region home to around 13,000 glaciers — the highest concentration outside the polar zones — where authorities have warned of escalating environmental damage.
Renowned for its breathtaking scenery, Gilgit Baltistan draws tens of thousands of visitors annually, with snow-capped peaks rising above the ancient Silk Road and highways threading through cherry orchards, glaciers, and vivid blue lakes.
However, in recent years construction has exploded led by companies from outside the region, straining water and power resources, and increasing waste.
“If we let them construct hotels at such a pace, there will be a forest of concrete,” said Khadim Hussain, a senior official at the Gilgit Baltistan Environmental Protection Authority on Friday.
“People don’t visit here to see concrete; people come here to enjoy natural beauty,” he added.
Last month, a foreign tourist posted a video on Instagram — which quickly went viral — alleging wastewater was being discharged by a hotel into Lake Attabad, which serves as a freshwater source for Hunza.
The next day, authorities fined the hotel more than $5,000.
Asif Sakhi, a political activist and resident of the Hunza Valley, welcomed the ban.
“We have noticed rapid changes in the name of tourism and development,” he said, adding hotel construction was “destroying our natural lakes and rivers”.
Shah Nawaz, a hotel manager and local resident of the valley, also praised the ban, saying he believes “protecting the environment and natural beauty is everyone’s responsibility”.
