The Monster in Attabad
By Inshaal Sarfraz
Attabad Lake, with its turquoise waters, cradled by rugged mountains, is a balm for the heart. When the Sun shines, its golden rays dance upon the lake’s surface, casting a magical shimmer that feels almost unreal. Locals, as well as national and international tourists, are drawn to this natural wonder. It’s the kind of place one imagines in a fairytale – a lake where fairies and unicorns dwell, hidden among the mountains. As in every fairytale, there is always a lurking monster. And here, that monster arrived too – black with greedy green eyes – its name: Capitalism.
In recent years, a wave of luxury hotels has begun to rise along the lake’s edges, with many more still under construction. These establishments flaunt their proximity to the lake as a prime selling point, urging tourists to experience “lakeside luxury.” The largest tourist facility on Attabad is the Luxus Hunza, whose brightly colored resorts at first glance appear charming. Yet the old saying stings with truth here: “Never be deceived by appearances.”
The shining blue Attabad lake displayed on Luxus Hunza website is turning murky brown due to hotel’s discharge of its own kitchen and toilet waste into water. As noted by Sarosh Sultan in 2023, hotels around Attabad routinely discharge sewage directly into the water due to absence of proper sewage systems. It’s the classic capitalist shortcut: it’s easier and cheaper to dump than to care. A recent Instagram reel by international tourist George Buckley captured the unsettling contrast between the usual blue and concerning brown water patches near the hotel zone. However, the most damning evidence lies in 2020 official investigation by the Forest, Wildlife and Environment Department, Government of Gilgit-Baltistan. According to the report, although soakage pits for Luxus Hunza were found behind the restaurant at a safe distance, open dumping of waste was clearly observed when the team visited. This waste inevitably finds its way into the lake. Even more concerning, the survey team found that a new kitchen was under construction dangerously close to the lake and concluded that its “effluent would directly seep into the water” once operational.
In response to the viral reel, Luxus Hunza defended itself with two claims: (1) that it had obtained all necessary environmental approvals before beginning operations, and (2) that the brown discoloration in the lake is merely glacial silt. However, the 2020 investigation report by the Forest, Wildlife and Environment Department of Gilgit-Baltistan (FWE) tells a different story. It clearly notes that only a conditional No Objection Certificate (NOC) was issued — one that required the hotel’s new construction to be at least 20 feet away from the lake’s edge. But as is too often the case in Pakistan, such conditions were soon forgotten, and no follow-up investigations have since been carried out. As for the claim of glacial silt, it’s not so easily verifiable. While reports from 2013 (DAWN) confirm that GLOF events (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods) were common in Gulkin Glacier, which feeds the Attabad Lake, there is no information available to see whether the brown patches indeed caused by glacial silt or not. The FWE Department and Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) should conduct the experiments for verification. However, even if it is glacial silt right now, this still does not explain or excuse the multiple documented instances of poor waste management linked to Luxus Hunza. It is imperative to note that Luxus Hunza is not alone in this. The 2020 report named several other resorts such as Dolphin Floating Resort, Hidden Valley Lake Resort, Whispering Lake Resort, among others that were constructed so close to the water with no room left for filtration systems to be installed. Gray, brown and black waste from kitchens, septic tanks and soak pits directly flows into the lake.
These capitalist ventures often seek refuge under the cloak of propaganda – ‘we care about environment’, ‘this is also our home’ – but such statements are hollow without meaningful action. The real tragedy however lies not only in these profit-driven companies but also in the state’s willful indifference which enables and sustains capitalism. The government and its departments often only remember climate change and the environment during floods. Later, the officials go on luxurious international aid tours, the outcomes of which remain unclear always. The GB Government, following the recent social media outcry, has now conducted an investigation, sealed Luxus Hunza, and imposed a fine of Rs. 1.5 million. However, this raises an important question: if the authorities were already aware of these issues as far back as 2020, why was no action taken at the time?
We live in the age of the Anthropocene — a chapter of deep harm written by human hands on our home, Earth. But as some scholars argue that perhaps this is not humanity’s footprint at large but the footprint of capitalism. Hence, they emphasize to call this age Capitalocene (Matthews) – an era where profit is prioritized over nature. It is now no longer just important – it is urgent – to resist and stop this. To protect what remains. Water does not only sustain life – water itself is life.
The contributor is a BA/LLB student at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore.
