Iqra University, CDA team up for Trail-5 cleanup
Iqra University Islamabad Campus (IUIC) in collaboration with Capital Development Authority (CDA) organized the Hike & Clean Photowalk on the Trail-5, Sunday despite inclement weather.
The students and the faculty members of the Islamabad campus cleaned up the Margalla Hills Trail-5.
The cleanup activity was held by the Iqra University under its corporate social responsibility to raise public awareness of environmental protection, especially the mountains. The event is organized every year with more than 100 students participating in it.
The students were divided into three teams to cover designated areas of the trail and cleared the garbage.
The activity started with IUIC vice president Dr Muhammad Islam addressing the teams. “It is a great thing to support a constructive approach towards cleanliness. We are responsible to keep our surroundings clean and the Islamabad campus will continue to execute such activities.”
The participating students actively participated in the activity and cleared off trash on the trail followed by a scrumptious brunch at La Montana. The photowalk was organised by the Adventure, Eco and Media Clubs of the campus, allowing the students to celebrate the commencement of New Year on a positive note.
This is not the first time that a university’s students have participated in a cleanup walk. Earlier in December last year too, more than 100 university students, volunteers and nature lovers participated in the hiking and cleanup drive of the Margalla Hills Trail-5.
From the winding paths of the Trail-5, they picked trash of all sorts including empty bottles, used shopping bags, juice cans and tissue papers, etc.
Last month’s event was organized in collaboration with the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWNB), a subordinate organization of the Ministry of Climate Change and other institutes.
Established in 1980, the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) is the world’s third largest national park with an area of 17,386 hectares (42,960 acres), he said.
At the foothills of Himalaya, it has a number of peaks including Tilla Charouni (1604m) the highest peak of the MHNP, he said adding the park was rich in biodiversity, especially rich in Sino-Himalayan fauna, most notably gray goral, barking deer and the Leopard. Combined MHNP is home to around 600 plant species, 402 bird varieties, 38 mammals and 27 species of reptiles.
