The river Swat starts from Mahodand and Gabral at an elevation of about 3,000 meters and passes through the valley of Swat and Malakand Agency. Ushu, Utror, Mankial, Ghurnai, Kedam, Daral, Beshigram, Pia and Shin are the main tributaries which join the river Swat at various points.

Water of the river is used for irrigation, drinking and electricity generation. The river serves as life blood for economy of the NWFP due to the fact that fertile agriculture fields of Malakand Agency, Swabi, Mardan and most of Charsadda are irrigated through upper and lower Swat canal system.

River Swat also provides habitat for various fish especially the upper reaches where trout fish have been introduced which contribute to the economy of the area by creating employment opportunities and a perfect diet for locals and tourists.

Unfortunately water of the river Swat is contaminated by a number of sources due to mismanagement of catchments area, unplanned construction of buildings, dumping and throwing of solid/municipal waste and discharge of sewerage water and industrial effluents.

During the past no proper attention was given to environmental degradation of river Swat due to which the water has been contaminated badly. Hence, sewerage water discharge from hotels and residential areas, dumping and throwing of solid municipal effluent and discharge of industrial waste in the Swat River needs controlling measures to combat pollution. Secondly, unplanned construction of buildings and encroachments along the river not only affect scenic value but result in pollution of water, which also need effective control mechanism.

Due to influx of tourists and lack of planning and construction of infrastructure by the concerned authorities, tourist sites in the Swat valley are facing serious problems. The increasing number of hotels which are dumping thousands of gallons of contaminated water and solid waste into the river is a threat to the environment.

In many areas of the valley, swelling number of tourists has resulted in deforestation and forest degradation. The wholesale cutting of trees for building roads has resulted in frequent land slides. Deforestation, degradation of forest resources, increase in demands for fuel-wood, forage and forest products have also contributed to dwindling wildlife population in the region. Deforestation of watershed of the Swat River has resulted in erosion of its banks.

Reforestation activities are needed on large scale all along the river on the steep slopes of the bare mountains. Through these activities erosion can be controlled and lush green mountains will also attract tourists. Retaining walls should be constructed along the river banks to check normal flow of the river and to protect its banks from degradation. The federal government should help improve the environmental condition of the Swat River.

There is a need to control both solid and liquid waste pollution at source and prevent its disposal into the Swat River. Proper sanitation system for Tehsil Swat and Matta and for most of the hotels and residential buildings all along the river should be ensured. There is a need to install a treatment/composting plant at Dangaram, the dumping site for solid waste, for its treatment and production of bio-fertiliser. The income of the resource-poor farmers can be enhanced by providing them gainful employment through trout fish farming and fruit trees plantations. Orchard cultivations and pine plantation on the catchment’s area of the river and bare slopes of mountains will increase their productivity and reduce soil erosion.

There is no proper waste management at present for the waste produced in cities and villages located all along the river bank, and this waste ultimately finds its way into the river. Swat comprising 52 union councils have only five trucks and one tractor trolley for waste collection, transportation purposes. Total number of male sanitary workers is 250 and with only two female sanitary workers.

Solid waste of Mingora and adjoining city of Saidu Sharif is being dumped in Dangaram village, having no more capacity of further dumping and due to cold climate the decomposition of waste is very slow which produces very bad smell. There is also a poor sanitation system for the hotels and residential areas all along the river. Nearly 400 hotels have been constructed along the banks of the river and its tributaries. Most of these hotels directly discharge their solid and liquid wastes into the river. Pollution due to hotels at upper area of Swat like Kalam and Madyan is seasonal (during summer). But big cities like Mingora, Saidu Sharif, Matta etc., are producing large amount of solid and liquid waste throughout the year along with automobiles workshops, service stations and marble factories discharging the waste in the river. All these necessitate a waste management system on sustained basis.

Sewerage water is a threat to human and aquatic life due to poisoning and contamination of water. To combat this problem, there is need to construct septic tanks in all major cities/villages located around the river. Awareness of local communities, hotel/building owners regarding effect of drainage discharge into river system is a must. The City District Government of Swat should take measures to stop contamination of the river water. The unplanned construction and encroachment along the river side should also be removed by the local government. Owners of marble industries should be directed to construct sedimentation tanks in the premises of their industries so that industrial effluent may settle down before entering into the river.

The cities and towns in the valley generate thousand of tons of municipal wastes, for which there is no proper system of collection and disposal. There is a need for making arrangements for their proper disposal. Installation of composting plants for recycling of solid waste is also very important where solid waste can be treated and recycled producing valuable products such as bio-fertiliser to enhance fertility of the soil.

The snow-clad mountains of Mahodhand valley support a system of clear crystal water tributaries offer a very good habitat for fish population. Brown trout (Salmo trutto) are found in the streams of Mahodhand valley. As the name indicate in Pushto language “Maho” meaning fish and “dhand” meaning lake i.e lake of fishes. The valley is mainly known for its abundant fish resources.

A plan is on the anvil for quantification of river pollution through detailed survey by lab work coordinators. For pollution quantification the whole Swat River and its tributaries will be divided into different zones starting from Mahodand lake to downstream Malakand Agency. Water samples will be collected from each zone on random basis and analysed for physical, chemical and biological properties. It includes pH, alkalinity, conductivity, COD, BOD, total solid contents, TDS, TSS, E.coli contents and heavy metals etc. There is a need of complete data bank of the river biodiversity, including fish, fauna and flora of the river.

There should be liaison with the line departments and the local NGOs for a campaign for awareness among people by preparing informational material and presentations about river environment. Summer walk should be arranged in the valley for the purpose of environmental improvement of river Swat. There is a need to make women of the area aware about sanitation, collection and handling of waste at house level, plantation of plants of economic importance and over all environmental issues. Hotel owners should be encouraged to adopt measures like separate sewerage line for toilets and other waste water and construction of septic tanks and waste bins in the vicinity of their hotels for the control of pollution.

Community awareness campaign should be launched among people living around river Swat and its tributaries. Awareness can also be created among school children in collaboration with local NGOs, while the ministry of environment has already initiated steps towards improvement of environment along the Swat River.