As part of solid waste management (SWM) initiatives under TREK (Travel Responsibly for Experiencing Ecotourism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), a two-day training was conducted in Chitral by Nestlé Pakistan, in partnership with Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the World Bank.

TREK was unveiled in December 2020 by Prime Minister Imran Khan, as part of World Bank financed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Development (KITE) project. TREK was also listed as one of federal government’s key achievements of 2020.

An extensive two-day training on waste management and sustainable tourism in Swat as part of TREK’s community engagement initiatives. The training comprised of sessions on categorizing waste, importance of recycling, learning to conduct waste audits, basic food safety and importance of WASH compliance among others. The event concluded with souvenir distribution for participants by Ghulam Saeed, Director General Directorate of Tourist Services and Touseef Khalid, Project Director KITE. We have also donated 2,000 reusable bags among communities in Swat.

Under the TREK initiative, more than 130 public and private sector participants including 20 women have been trained at the three locations of Swat, Galyat and Chitral. The initiative has also engaged the local communities through training and awareness session on nutrition and hygiene for school children of Galyat.

“We are delighted that community engagement activities such as waste management training and awareness campaigns for tourists are coming to fruition, as part of TREK,” said Tashfeen Haider, Additional Secretary, Tourism Department, KP government, adding that Department of Tourism through KITE project is working on SWM cycle by providing equipment to area development authorities of Galyat, Kaghan, Chitral, Kalam and Kumrat. Moreover, contract for feasibility study and engineering design of sanitary landfill sites have been awarded through the KITE project.