Frequent users of the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway must have spotted a new signboard about the picturesque Soon Valley in Khushab District of Central Punjab. It is supposed to facilitate visitors that are oblivious of what lies ahead -- beautiful lakes, waterfalls, forests, natural springs, hills, the endangered Punjab Urial, migratory birds in winters, architectural sites and several other attractions.

Just an hour’s drive from the Kallar Kahar exit on Motorway, this area boasts of three beautiful lakes -- Jhallar, Khabeki and Uchali. A rare traveller adventuring into the valley is almost always astounded by its beauty, and wonders why the area has not been introduced to tourists. A few visitors that have been there are grateful to friends, relatives or acquaintances for recommending it.

Nestled between hills, about 5,000 feet above the sea level, the valley is mostly pleasant throughout the year, except between mid-May and mid-July.

However, the encouraging news at the moment is that a plan to develop the Soon Valley has been launched and different departments of the Punjab government, including Tourism Development Corporation Punjab (TDCP), The Urban Unit, and Khushab District Government, are working on it. The project has been approved under the Annual Development Plan (ADP) and funds to the tune Rs240.62 million have been earmarked for its completion in 18 months.

Titled ‘Development of Eco-Tourism in Soon Valley at Khabekhi and Uchali Lake - Khushab’, the initiative aims at developing the area as a tourist hub without harming its environment and ecology.

About four and a half hours away from Lahore and less than that from Islamabad, Soon Valley is "the only location in Punjab that offers so many attractions at one place", says Ahmer Mallick, Managing Director, TDCP.

TDCP has conducted surveys and organised trips of colleges and universities, and have found that people are extremely interested in visiting the valley if proper facilities are provided.

Unfortunately, Mallick says, in the absence of proper boarding facilities and food outlets, people come and return the same day and miss a lot of unique experiences that they could enjoy otherwise. These include views of lakes in moonlight, sunrise and sunset.

There are only a few resthouses and a private hotel in Noshera tehsil which provide limited housing facilities, he adds.

Explaining the details of the project, he says, Kallar Kahar that lies off the Motorway has been made the gateway to Soon Valley. TDCP motel there has been renovated. Now, it has 12 functional rooms and an excellent kitchen for those who want to have a stay or food at the motel. Besides, he adds, "a container has been placed on the road to serve as an information centre for those who want to proceed to the valley".

The other major components are repair of roads, development of walking tracks along lakes, gazeboes and sitting areas, picnic tables and jetties, camping sites and a botanical garden called Kanhatti Garden, a bird-watching tower. In addition the project aims to upgrade resthouses and construct 10 chalets near Uchalli Lake to give visitors a panoramic venue of the lake, and a food outlets.

Mallick adds that signage would be placed along the road all the way to the valley, and tenders have been invited and land acquisition is already under way.

Abdul Hameed, President of Grass Roots Development Programme (GRDP) feels the development work is being done in isolation, "there are no income generation facilities for the locals".

According to him, people are coming from big cities to develop the area and are bringing in their own labour. "A lot of care will have to be taken to keep the ecology and socio-cultural fabric of the area intact."

He says, within the past few days alone there have been accidents due to fast moving traffic, a young boy drowned in a pond in Kanhatti Garden and a fight broke out between noisy tourists and villagers -- "I think tourists and villagers must be sensitised on how to accommodate each other".

Dr Farooq Ahmed Malik, a local with background in agricultural studies, believes the valley should have been opened to public long ago. It was inaccessible before but after the construction of the Motorway, "there was no justification in not promoting it," he adds.

The fact that mountains in this part of Punjab receive snowfall in winters and countless migratory birds move here make it an ultimate tourist attraction, he adds.

Malik says their major concern is that the local environment is protected and increased and uncontrolled human activated not allowed to disturb the ecological balance. If there is noise and activity, he says, the migratory birds may leave early.

Travel writer Salman Rashid suggests that qualified experts should be involved in the Soon Valley project to ensure that the natural beauty and purity of this place are not destroyed. Unfortunately, he says, the trend here is that development is unplanned and carried out without taking consequences. He gives the example of Swat where hotels destroyed by floods are being reconstructed at the same locations, making them vulnerable to future floods. He fears if proper planning is not done it is quite likely that sewage water generated due to tourist activity will ultimately enter the lake.

However, there is no doubt that the valley has all the ingredients to make it a hub of ecotourism, he comments.

TDCP MD says they are trying to address all these apprehensions -- "The government is making minimum intervention to set the tone and increase tourist traffic there. Once people start coming in large numbers, the local economy will develop automatically as has happened in the northern parts of the country".

On the environmental concerns, Mallick says, the government has passed laws such as those that declare lands within 500 metres of the lakes as environmentally-sensitive and closed to residential and commercial activity. Preservation of the local species of flora and fauna and migratory birds is also a high priority concern of the government, he concludes.