ISLAMABAD: District Magistrate Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Friday imposed a two-month ban on recreational activities to prevent forest fires in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP). According to a notification, the civil administration also prohibited parking on Damn-e-Koh and Pir Sohawa Road as well as on outdoor cooking, BBQ and campfire in the MHNP.
“It has come to my knowledge through Ministry of Climate Change, Islamabad Wildlife Management Board that visitors to Margalla Hills National Park have been parking their cars on road sides of Damn-e-Koh and Pir Sohawa Road. Furthermore these visitors do outdoor cooking/BBQs on roadside and trails which is one of the main causes of forest fires in MHNP,” read the notification. Spreading over 12,605 hectares, the Margalla Hills National Park witnesses scores of fires every year. The fires damage forests and add to the air pollution.