Rs 300 bln worth trees chopped off prior to PTI govt in KPK: Murad Saeed

ISLAMABAD, Oct 26 (APP):Minister of Communications Murad Saeed Friday said Rs 300 billion worth trees were chopped off during the years 2008-13 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), prior to Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) government, which had led to massive climate change impacts.
Addressing a seminar on the occasion of inaugurating Clean and Green Pakistan Plantation drive at Construction Technology Training Institute (CTTI) here he said the blatant deforestation in the KP resulted into floods, rise in temperatures and environmental degradation in the region.
“We do not only have to save our forests rather contribute our share in plantation across the country too,” he added.
He underscored that Ministry of Communications would plant saplings along its 12,000 kilometer roads which would turn the barren roads into green shaded thoroughfares. The plantation would be conducted in collaboration with the KP and Sindh governments, he added.
He emphasized, that people must put their share in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Prime Minister Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams Fund, and Clean and Green Pakistan Plantation campaign as these initiatives were for national cause and had religious significance because to plant a tree and feed a thirsty with a glass of water had a greater reward in the realm of God.
He said Pakistan was once among the countries having abundant water resources and forests, but unfortunately at present the country had left only a limited amount of the natural resources.
The developed nations, he said were due to their resolve and commitment towards their motherland. “Pakistan has the best armed forces, human resource and talented youth but it was still in crisis. The reason is that we work individually for ourselves other than collectively for the country. It is hard time no doubt and the country will come out of turmoil. We will have to prefer national interest over our personal concerns then the country will prosper,” he added.
The minister also planted a sapling to inaugurate the campaign at CTTI and met the students dressed in regional and cultural attires.

Director CTTI, Col Imran speaking on the occasion briefed the minister about the institute as it had been developed with the assistance of Japan in 1986 and was providing trained technical workforce serving in the industries across the country and abroad.
He said at present the plantation season had ended but CTTI had taken the task to train and aware its 2200 students, who would serve as soldiers for the national cause of Clean and Green Plantation and CJP Dam fund. He added that whenever the season would get favourable for plantation the CTTI students would start tree plantation.
He informed that Japanese authorities had established 6 institutes like the CTTI, but all of them had been abolished and only the one in Pakistan was functional, which proved its world class caliber, adding CTTI was one of the best institutes in the South-East Asia.
Senior Horticulture Expert Riaz Alam deliberated upon the significance and efficacy of plants and how plantation should be carried out. He said that plants had a pivotal role in the environment as they prepared food for other beings. The food cycle for human survival is based on plants and also helps in absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2), odors and other environmental pollutants, he added.
According to a study he said, “Mature and evergreen plants planted in one acre of land can absorb amount of CO2 emitted from a car running 26,000 miles.” He said Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in its study revealed that 0.6 per cent deforestation occurred every year in Pakistan.
He insisted that if we want to preserve our climate and degrading environment then we will have to plant trees. Saplings, he said could be planted in houses, roof tops and roadsides keeping in mind types of plants, proper place for a particular plant according to its growth ratio and height.
Deputy Director Ministry of Climate Change Dr Noureen Mustafa said the biggest calamity of the decade in the country was the heatwave in Karachi that caused 1200 deaths in a day.
The disastrous increase in temperature occurred due to massive cutting down of trees and forest depletion, she added. “It also resulted into melting of glaciers and water towers that increased glacial lakes number from 2500 to 3000 whereas out of which some may burst causing heavy floods at any time,” she informed.
She said that Pakistan was bearing US$6-17 billion loss per year due to climate change and stood at number 7 in the list of countries under direct impact of climate change.
Dr Noureen said that the ‘Billion Tree Tsunami’ campaign in the KP created millions of jobs improved forest situation and revived wildlife in the province. The Ministry of Climate Change (MOCC) is developing inter-ministerial relationships at the federal and provincial level to enhance coordination for environment conservation where Minister for Communications Murad Saeed has been actively collaborating with MOCC, she added.