With seasonal spring flowers start budding amid hide and seek between sun and clouds having moderate to erratic rainfalls over the lofty mountains of Malaka Parbath in Kaghan valley housing an oval shape famous Saiful Malook Lake with crystal greenish-blue water strikes eyes and minds of tourists with a unique sense of ecstasy.
Known for fairytales, the Saiful Malook Lake leaves mesmerizing effects and laps visitors into pipe-dream with fairy world’s thoughts popping up with peace and serenity after entering the natural wonder spreading on 1.06 square miles having 113 feet depth and 3,224 meters height from sea-level following completion of boredom of tedious journey from plain areas of Pakistan to the picturesque Kaghan valley.
Named after Persian Prince Saiful Malook, the lake’s waterfall emanating from nearby glaciers of Malaka Parbath on its northeast leaves enduring effects on the minds and souls of hundreds of thousands of tourists and nature lovers every year.
Mian Muhammad Bakhash, a noted historian and poet in his book ‘Fairytale of Saiful Malook’ has narrated about Prince Saiful Malook and fairy princes Badriul Jamala during his visit to the lake. He explained about the epic romance of Prince Malook when he fell in love with fairy prince Badriul Jamala during his visit to this famous lake of Pakistan.
“I have visited many lakes in Pakistan but the gripping natural beauty, oval shape and clean-greenish blue-water of Saiful Malook lake has impressed me a lot,” Riazul Haq, a retired school teacher of Nowshera district told APP.
“Saiful Malook Lake is my ideal tourist place due to its fairytales, unique natural beauty and better road connectivity than others lakes of KP,” he said, adding It was my third trip to Saiful Malook. “Families can easily come here to spend sometimes in its relaxed environment before exploring the nearby Anso and Dudipatsar lakes in Upper Kaghan through jeeps and horse riding with great fun and excitement.
Besides Saiful Malook, he said the natural beauty of tear-shaped Anso lake being considered the highest lake of Hamalya region with 4,126 meter height of the sea level, Payala lake with 2,895 meters elevation, Pyala lake with 3410 meters height Siri lake with 2,590 meters altitude, Dudipatsar lake with 3,800 meters elevation and Dudibach Star lake in Kaghan valley captivate adventure sports enthusiasts.
“Saiful Malook is the identity of Pakistan. I am disappointed to see garbage and polythene bags thrown by visitors at premises of these picturesque lakes,” he said, adding it was the collective responsibility of Kaghan Development Authority (KDA), Wildlife Department and District Administration to ensure and maintain its cleanliness and make it pollution-free.
In international practice, he said vehicles are parked outside of the lakes’ premises in order to maintain its ecology and protect it from plastic pollution, adding there are a need for construction of parking areas outside of the premises of Saiful Malook, Mahudhand and others national lakes to protect it from pollution.
Muhammad Ali Syed, General Manager, KP Culture and Tourism Authority told APP that Pakistan is home to many natural and manmade lakes and reservoirs including South Asia’s largest Manchar lake spread on 260 square kilometers in Sindh province besides the country’s biggest Paristan lake in Skardu and Shimshal lake in Hunza Gigiit Baltistan with 4,272 meters height draw domestic tourists in droves.
He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is blessed with around 100 small and big natural, manmade and reservoirs lakes including the world’s 33rd highest natural Lake of Karambar with 4,272 meters height of above sea level and 3.9 kilometer length that could be accessed through Broghal valley in Chitral.
Syed said Swat was going to become tourism capital of the country due to its seven unique features including snow clad mountains peaks, trout fish, river, snowfall, Swat Motorway, waterfalls and lakes. The Swat’s Mahodand Lake with 2,900 meters height at Ushu Valley Kalam carried unique features including brown and rainbow trout and camping besides Spin Khwar and Kundal lakes take tourists into lap of serenity.
Khanpoor Lake in Haripur is most suitable for water sports and paragliding, Tanda dam lake Kohat for ecotourism and Turbella lake Haripur for adventure sports. Muhammad Ali Syed said lakes of small dams including Tanda Kohat, Jalozai Nowshera, Kundal Swabi, Chatri Haripur and Jangza Abbottabad have been selected for development of recreational spots to promote ecotourism. He said a road from Maidan to Bishigram lake would be constructed while jeep track at Kandal lake has been built.
He said Mahudhand lake would be converted into a model ecotourism resort with provision of enhanced facilities to tourists there. According to Tourism and Culture Authority officials, a mega project worth Rs99 million was being launched to construct walking tracks, wood boats, huts, parking area, camping pods and others facilitation services at Mahudhand lake.
The small and medium lakes in premises of Mohudhand would be interconnected after construction of small arch bridges that would enhance its natural outlook. It is a three years project with allocation of Rs94 million for fiscal year 2021-22 and practical work would soon start on Mahodhand project.
Besides developing four Integrated Tourism Zones (ITZ) at Mankiyal Swat, Thandyani Abbottabad, Ganol Manshera and Madaklasht Lower Chitral with USD 70 million financial assistance of the World Bank in next three years, the Khyber Pakthunkhwa government has decided to construct two roads to connect ITZs Mankiyal and Thandyani onward with Swat and Hazara Motorway that would open up these lakes for tourists.
Jeepable tracks in 16 districts mostly in Malakand and Hazara divisions would be constructed with an allocation of Rs500 million to make these lakes accessible for families throughout the year. Similarly, 10 new camping pods in tourism sites would be established where tourists coming to explore these lakes would be provided accommodation
Salahuddin Khan, Divisional Wildlife Officer told APP that Saiful Malook lake spreading on 12,026 acres had been brought under the national park established under the preservation, protection and management Act 1975 passed in 2003. He said Rs188 million project for Saiful Malook national park has been approved under which a parking complex and gate would be constructed besides purchase of machinery and equipment for its cleanliness and maintenance and establishment offices for wildlife staff there.
Under Prime Minister’s Protected Areas initiative, he said KP was the first province providing national parks services to people and all development as well as administrative affairs of the national parks would be look after by separate DFOs to protect its ecology, alpine ecosystem and wildlife habitats.
