Islamabad: More than 100 million saplings will be planted
across the country by provincial and federal forest departments during
ongoing monsoon season, which set off mid-June.
Climate Change Minister, Zahid Hamid, accorded approval to the 103.32 million tree sapling plantation target for the monsoon season at a high-level inter-ministerial and inter-provincial meeting held at the Ministry’s committee room,†said Mohammad Saleem, the climate change ministry media spokesperson.
The climate change minister chaired the meeting, which was held to deliberate upon targets put forward by provincial and federal forest departments, ministry of defence, Heavy Industries Taxila, Capital Development Authority, Islamabad Capital Territory and non-governmental organisations.
The media spokesperson Mr. Saleem told media that while approving the monsoon tree sapling plantation target the climate change minister directed representatives of forest departments, CDA, ICT and other departments to utilize all possible resource at hand to achieve the tree plantation target.
While sharing the details of the monsoon tree plantation target, he said
that, 12 million tree would be planted by Punjab forest department in the
province during this monsoon season. Besides, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will plant
70 million trees, Sindh 14 million trees, Baluchistan 7,50,000 trees, Azad
Jammu and Kashmir 3.75 million trees, FATA 1.01 million trees, Ministry of
Defence one million trees, Heavy Industries Texila 1,000 trees, Pakistan
Ordinance Factory 4,000 trees and IUCN 500,000 trees.
He said further that a ceremony would be held next month for launching a
full-fledge monsoon tree plantation campaign under the agies of the federal
climate change minister.
“Representatives of the provincial forest departments, CDA and ICT have already made preparations for kicking off the monsoon tree plantation in next month and sufficient stocks of tree saplings are available in nurseries in different parts of the country,†he added.
Quoting reports of UN’s Food and Agriculture organization, the climate
change media spokesperson Mohammad Saleem said that forests provided with
the most effective way to mitigate flood impacts.
“Form, forests hold back floodwater by nearly 72 hours and; hence, reduce
intensity of the deluge water, lower chances of deaths and damages to
roads, building infrastructures, bridges as well as standing crops from
being washed away or wiped out,†he added.
“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s ambitious Green Pakistan Programme, launched early this year across the country is a clear indicator of the present government’s seriousness towards protecting socio-economic sectors, lives and livelihoods of the people from the climate change impacts, which have shown rise in frequency and intensity,†the spokesperson underlined.
