KP Urges Tourists to Avoid Dangerous Water Channels

News Desk

Abbottabad: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has launched a comprehensive awareness campaign aimed at ensuring the safety, guidance and facilitation of tourists visiting the province, with a particular focus on Galiyat.

The campaign has been launched on the directives of Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Tourism and Culture Malak Adeel Iqbal and Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah.

As part of the initiative, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) held a press briefing for Peshawar-based journalists at the Tourism Facilitation Centre in Abbottabad.

Speaking at the briefing, Culture and Tourism Officer Saima Imran highlighted the efforts of Tourism Police and Rescue 1122 teams to assist and guide visitors at major tourist destinations. Field teams are distributing awareness material and providing tourists with safety guidelines.

She said special attention was being given to the safety of riverbanks and seasonal streams to prevent drowning incidents at high-risk tourist destinations, including Swat, Lake Saif-ul-Malook and the Kunhar River in Naran.

Saima Imran said the measures were being implemented on the instructions of Tourism Advisor Malak Adeel Iqbal, Secretary Tourism Saadat Hassan and KPCTA Director General Shahid Khan.

She urged tourists to exercise extreme caution amid forecasts of heavy monsoon rains and possible flash floods, warning them against entering turbulent or swollen water channels.

She noted that several tourists had lost their lives while attempting to take photographs, selfies and videos near dangerous water flows.

The official also appealed to tourists to remain particularly cautious at remote and unmonitored locations where Tourism Police and Rescue 1122 personnel may not be immediately available.

She stressed that protecting human lives should remain the top priority while enjoying the province’s tourist destinations.