Latest news with #HunzaValley
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Locals in Pakistan's Hunza Valley call for action against hotels ‘polluting' Attabad Lake
KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: Local social activists in Pakistan's northern Hunza Valley are demanding strict action against hotels operating around Attabad Lake for failing to meet environmental standards, after a video by a foreign vlogger alleging untreated sewage discharge into the lake went viral on social media this week. Attabad Lake was formed in 2010 when a massive landslide blocked the Hunza River, killing 20 people and submerging villages and a stretch of the strategic Karakoram Highway that links Pakistan to China. Over the years, the lake has become a major tourist attraction, driving a boom in hotel construction along its banks. Following the viral video by travel vlogger George Buckley, officials from the Gilgit-Baltistan Environmental Protection Agency (GBEPA) and local administration inspected the hotel's premises and sewage facilities on Tuesday. 'We have fined Rs 1.5 million ($5,300) on [Luxus Hunza Attabad Lake Resort] hotel after the inspection,' Khadim Hussain, a director at the EPA, confirmed to Arab News. 'A portion of the resort has been sealed for the period of three months. And if they don't develop a waste treatment plan within the stipulated period of time, the [whole] facility will be sealed and imposed more fines.' He added: 'The action against the hotels that are not complying [with] environmental standards continues in the region before the video of a foreign vlogger.' Residents say pollution caused by unchecked hotel expansion is now threatening Attabad Lake's clear blue water, which draws thousands of tourists every year. 'Solid waste is becoming a big issue in the surrounding areas of Attabad Lake and especially on river banks due to the construction of hotels,' Shahid Hussain, a local social activist and politician, told Arab News by phone. 'When the level of the water [in the lake] increases during summer, the level of sewage waste in soakage pits also rises and merges into the lake. This is deteriorating the natural beauty of Attabad Lake.' He stressed: 'The environmental protection authority has fined one hotel. And this is not a permanent solution. The administration and EPA should give a proper mechanism to protect nature and clean water.' Another activist, Zahoor Ilahi, echoed the call for tougher enforcement. 'Initially, when locals started to build miniature resorts and hotels, the municipal and district administration teased the locals in the name of NOC [No Objection Certificate],' he said. 'Later big investors came to the region and built big hotels, and there is no treatment plant for sewage waste. If the [Luxus] hotel has no treatment plan, then the whole resort should be sealed instead of imposing a fine on them.' Ilahi warned that untreated wastewater could also threaten local drinking water projects: 'A project is underway to supply drinking water from Attabad Lake for central Hunza under a federal PSDP project. So, the protection of clean water is very much needed. If the government fails to protect the clean water, it will multiply the miseries of locals.' In a Facebook post, the Luxus Resort rejected the allegations. 'Attabad Lake formed in 2010. Before Luxus Hunza opened its doors to tourists in 2019, no one had experienced this majestic lake up close. This lake has been home for us for the last six years. It is the reason and purpose of our existence. To dump sewage water into the lake would be like desecrating our own house. We have never nor will we ever dump a single liter of waste water into Attabad Lake,' the hotel management said. It added that the cloudy appearance of the lake near the hotel was due to natural sediment from mountain streams mixing with the clear lake water, not sewage discharge. Arab News attempted to contact a representative of Luxus Hotel Hunza for further comment but did not receive a response by the time of filing this report.
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
In a Pakistan valley, a small revolution among women
In a sawdust-filled workshop nestled in the Karakoram Mountains, a team of women carpenters chisel away at cabinets -- and forge an unlikely career for themselves in Pakistan. Women make up just a fraction of Pakistan's formal workforce. But in a collection of villages sprinkled along the old Silk Road between China and Afghanistan, a group of women-led businesses is defying expectations. "We have 22 employees and have trained around 100 women," said Bibi Amina, who launched her carpentry workshop in 2008 at the age of 30. Hunza Valley's population of around 50,000, spread across mountains abounding with apricot, cherry, walnut and mulberry orchards, follow the Ismaili branch of Shiite Islam. Ismailis are led by the Aga Khan, a hereditary position held by a family with Pakistani roots now living in Europe. The family opened a girls' school in Hunza in 1946, kickstarting an educational investment that pushed the valley's literacy rate to 97 percent for both men and women. That rate far outstrips the country average of around 68 percent for men and 52.8 percent for women. As a result, attitudes have shifted, and women like Amina are taking expanded roles. "People thought women were there to wash dishes and do laundry," Amina said of the generation before her. Trained by the Aga Khan Foundation to help renovate the ancient Altit Fort, Amina later used her skills to start her own business. Her carpenters are currently at work on a commission from a luxury hotel. Pioneers Only 23 percent of the women in Pakistan were officially part of the labour force as of 2024, according to data from the World Bank. In rural areas, women rarely take on formal employment but often toil in the fields to support the family's farming income. In a Gallup poll published last year, a third of women respondents said their father or husband forbade them from taking a job, while 43.5 percent said they had given up work to devote themselves to domestic tasks. Cafe owner Lal Shehzadi spearheaded women's restaurant entrepreneurship in Hunza. She opened her cafe at the top of a winding high street to supplement her husband's small army pension. Sixteen years later, her simple set-up overlooking the valley has become a popular night-time tourist attraction. She serves visitors traditional cuisine, including yak meat, apricot oil and rich mountain cheese. "At the start, I used to work alone," she said. "Now, 11 people work here and most of them are women. And my children are also working here." Following in Shehzadi's footsteps, Safina quit her job to start her own restaurant around a decade ago. "No one wanted to help me," she said. Eventually, she convinced family members to sell two cows and a few goats for the money she needed to launch her business. Now, she earns the equivalent of around $170 a month, more than 15 times her previous income. Farming to football The socio-economic progress of women in Hunza compared to other rural areas of Pakistan has been driven by three factors, according to Sultan Madan, the head of the Karakoram Area Development Organisation and a local historian. "The main reason is the very high literacy rate," he told AFP, largely crediting the Aga Khan Foundation for funding training programmes for women. "Secondly, agriculture was the backbone of the economy in the region, but in Hunza the landholding was meagre and that was why women had to work in other sectors." Women's increased economic participation has spilled into other areas of life, like sports fields. "Every village in the valley has a women's soccer team: Gojal, Gulmit, Passu, Khyber, Shimsal," said Nadia Shams, 17. On a synthetic pitch, she trains with her teammates in jogging pants or shorts, forbidden elsewhere by Pakistan's dress code. Here, one name is on everyone's lips: Malika-e-Noor, the former vice-captain of the national team who scored the winning penalty against the Maldives in the 2010 South Asian Women's Football Championship. Fahima Qayyum was six years old when she witnessed the killer kick. Today, after several international matches, she is recruiting the next generation. "As a girl, I stress to others the importance of playing, as sport is very good for health," she told AFP. "If they play well, they can also get scholarships."
News.com.au
13-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
In a Pakistan valley, a small revolution among women
In a sawdust-filled workshop nestled in the Karakoram Mountains, a team of women carpenters chisel away at cabinets -- and forge an unlikely career for themselves in Pakistan. Women make up just a fraction of Pakistan's formal workforce. But in a collection of villages sprinkled along the old Silk Road between China and Afghanistan, a group of women-led businesses is defying expectations. "We have 22 employees and have trained around 100 women," said Bibi Amina, who launched her carpentry workshop in 2008 at the age of 30. Hunza Valley's population of around 50,000, spread across mountains abounding with apricot, cherry, walnut and mulberry orchards, follow the Ismaili branch of Shiite Islam. Ismailis are led by the Aga Khan, a hereditary position held by a family with Pakistani roots now living in Europe. The family opened agirls' school in Hunza in 1946, kickstarting an educational investment that pushed the valley's literacy rate to 97 percent for both men and women. That rate far outstrips the country average of around 68 percent for men and 52.8 percent for women. As a result, attitudes have shifted, and women like Amina are taking expanded roles. "People thought women were there to wash dishes and do laundry," Amina said of the generation before her. Trained by the Aga Khan Foundation to help renovate the ancient Altit Fort, Amina later used her skills to start her own business. Her carpenters are currently at work on a commission from a luxury hotel. - Pioneers - Only 23 percent of the women in Pakistan were officially part of the labour force as of 2024, according to data from the World Bank. In rural areas, women rarely take on formal employment but often toil in the fields to support the family's farming income. In a Gallup poll published last year, a third of women respondents said their father or husband forbade them from taking a job, while 43.5 percent said they had given up work to devote themselves to domestic tasks. Cafe owner Lal Shehzadi spearheaded women's restaurant entrepreneurship in Hunza. She opened her cafe at the top of a winding high street to supplement her husband's small army pension. Sixteen years later, her simple set-up overlooking the valley has become a popular night-time tourist attraction. She serves visitors traditional cuisine, including yak meat, apricot oil and rich mountain cheese. "At the start, I used to work alone," she said. "Now, 11 people work here and most of them are women. And my children are also working here." Following in Shehzadi's footsteps, Safina quit her job to start her own restaurant around a decade ago. "No one wanted to help me," she said. Eventually, she convinced family members to sell two cows and a few goats for the money she needed to launch her business. Now, she earns the equivalent of around $170 a month, more than 15 times her previous income. - Farming to football - The socio-economic progress of women in Hunza compared to other rural areas of Pakistan has been driven by three factors, according to Sultan Madan, the head of the Karakoram Area Development Organisation and a local historian. "The main reason is the very high literacy rate," he told AFP, largely crediting the Aga Khan Foundation for funding training programmes for women. "Secondly, agriculture was the backbone of the economy in the region, but in Hunza the landholding was meagre and that was why women had to work in other sectors." Women's increased economic participation has spilled into other areas of life, like sports fields. "Every village in the valley has a women's soccer team: Gojal, Gulmit, Passu, Khyber, Shimsal," said Nadia Shams, 17. On a synthetic pitch, she trains with her teammates in jogging pants or shorts, forbidden elsewhere by Pakistan's dress code. Here, one name is on everyone's lips: Malika-e-Noor, the former vice-captain of the national team who scored the winning penalty against the Maldives in the 2010 South Asian Women's Football Championship. Fahima Qayyum was six years old when she witnessed the killer kick. Today, after several international matches, she is recruiting the next generation. "As a girl, I stress to others the importance of playing, as sport is very good for health," she told AFP. "If they play well, they can also get scholarships."
Arab News
13-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
In a Pakistan valley, a small revolution among women
KARIMABAD, Pakistan: In a sawdust-filled workshop nestled in the Karakoram Mountains, a team of women carpenters chisel away at cabinets — and forge an unlikely career for themselves in Pakistan. Women make up just a fraction of Pakistan's formal workforce. But in a collection of villages sprinkled along the old Silk Road between China and Afghanistan, a group of women-led businesses is defying expectations. 'We have 22 employees and have trained around 100 women,' said Bibi Amina, who launched her carpentry workshop in 2008 at the age of 30. Hunza Valley's population of around 50,000, spread across mountains abounding with apricot, cherry, walnut and mulberry orchards, follow the Ismaili branch of Shiite Islam. Ismailis are led by the Aga Khan, a hereditary position held by a family with Pakistani roots now living in Europe. The family opened a girls' school in Hunza in 1946, kickstarting an educational investment that pushed the valley's literacy rate to 97 percent for both men and women. That rate far outstrips the country average of around 68 percent for men and 52.8 percent for women. As a result, attitudes have shifted, and women like Amina are taking expanded roles. 'People thought women were there to wash dishes and do laundry,' Amina said of the generation before her. Trained by the Aga Khan Foundation to help renovate the ancient Altit Fort, Amina later used her skills to start her own business. Her carpenters are currently at work on a commission from a luxury hotel. Only 23 percent of the women in Pakistan were officially part of the labor force as of 2024, according to data from the World Bank. In rural areas, women rarely take on formal employment but often toil in the fields to support the family's farming income. In a Gallup poll published last year, a third of women respondents said their father or husband forbade them from taking a job, while 43.5 percent said they had given up work to devote themselves to domestic tasks. Cafe owner Lal Shehzadi spearheaded women's restaurant entrepreneurship in Hunza. She opened her cafe at the top of a winding high street to supplement her husband's small army pension. Sixteen years later, her simple set-up overlooking the valley has become a popular night-time tourist attraction. She serves visitors traditional cuisine, including yak meat, apricot oil and rich mountain cheese. 'At the start, I used to work alone,' she said. 'Now, 11 people work here and most of them are women. And my children are also working here.' Following in Shehzadi's footsteps, Safina quit her job to start her own restaurant around a decade ago. 'No one wanted to help me,' she said. Eventually, she convinced family members to sell two cows and a few goats for the money she needed to launch her business. Now, she earns the equivalent of around $170 a month, more than 15 times her previous income. The socio-economic progress of women in Hunza compared to other rural areas of Pakistan has been driven by three factors, according to Sultan Madan, the head of the Karakoram Area Development Organization and a local historian. 'The main reason is the very high literacy rate,' he told AFP, largely crediting the Aga Khan Foundation for funding training programs for women. 'Secondly, agriculture was the backbone of the economy in the region, but in Hunza the landholding was meager and that was why women had to work in other sectors.' Women's increased economic participation has spilled into other areas of life, like sports fields. 'Every village in the valley has a women's soccer team: Gojal, Gulmit, Passu, Khyber, Shimsal,' said Nadia Shams, 17. On a synthetic pitch, she trains with her teammates in jogging pants or shorts, forbidden elsewhere by Pakistan's dress code. Here, one name is on everyone's lips: Malika-e-Noor, the former vice-captain of the national team who scored the winning penalty against the Maldives in the 2010 South Asian Women's Football Championship. Fahima Qayyum was six years old when she witnessed the killer kick. Today, after several international matches, she is recruiting the next generation. 'As a girl, I stress to others the importance of playing, as sport is very good for health,' she told AFP. 'If they play well, they can also get scholarships.'
