Heaps of rubbish were left behind in the vicinity of the glacial lakes and unique natural landscape of Cilo Mountain (Çiyayê Cîlo) after a festival in the Yüksekova (Gever) district of Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Hakkari (Colemêrg), reports Mezopotamya Agency.
Cilo Mountain, one of the highest peaks in the region at an elevation of around 4,000 metres, is known for its glacial lakes. The area was declared a national park by a presidential decree in September 2020, since when special permission has been required for access.
While local residents are prohibited from entering these natural areas without permission, the Governorates of Hakkari and Yüksekova recently organised the fifth Cilo Fest in the area where the glacial lakes are located.
After the end of the two-day event under the slogan “Life Exists in Hakkari”, which the state-run Anadolu Agency reported was attended by thousands of people, much of the rubbish, including waste from the portable toilets, was abandoned there, threatening the natural landscape and flora and fauna of the glacial lake, which is already in danger of disappearing due to global warming.