Under the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led provincial government Green-growth plan, about ten million saplings of different species would be planted during the ongoing monsoon tree-plantation drive across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The educational institutes, governmental departments, farmers and general public, are playing effective role to meet the plantation target set as 4.046 million in Southern Circles comprising Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, DI Khan, Bannu divisions; 4.222 million in Hazara circle comprising Lower and Upper Hazara and 1.732 million in Malakand circle respectively, said an senior official while talking to this scribe. He informed that about 7.362 million fit plants were raised by the Forest Department while the remaining obtained from market to meet the target.
During ongoing monsoon tree plantation campaign, special focus are being given in Hazara and Malakand circles keeping in view it better climatic condition, the official added. The Department has sent the required fit samplings stock to all stakeholders including government departments, NGOs, educational institutions, watershed areas, farmers and Forest Department across the province and plantation was underway successfully, the official sources added. He added the saplings are being be sown with help of Village Development Committees (VDCs), national building departments, educational institutions, farmers and general public, NGOs and Forests Department. The services of Government departments, VDCs, civil bodies organisations, students and farmers is being utilised to bring maximum areas under forest and vegetative cover in KP.
To ward off effects of floods and soil erosion, he said old strategy of utilising planting stocks has been changed from traditional planting procedure to meet the set target during the monsoon plantation drive. Trees and forests can play a vital role in combating environmental pollution, floods, social erosion and maters related to climatic change.
Organisations and NGOs with high human and funds resources coupled with their personal interests is being encouraged in the plantation campaign and that special focus are being given on local communities and individual farmers through their respective VDCs to carryout most of the plantation during the monsoon drive.
The farmers and growers are being facilitated to promote agro forestry while saplings would also be planted on canal sides and graveyards besides encouraging farms forestry. The Directorate of Community Development and Extension Forest Department has been assigned the task to co-ordinate extension and awareness programme through field staff at different stations.
Against the set target of 10 million plants for the last spring season, he said the Forest department has planted 12.045 million saplings of different species exceeding two million from the set target that was big achievement. He underlined the need for a comprehensive mechanism to grow more trees to address these issues. He appealed to people and farmers to take part in the tree plantation campaign with national spirit to make the country and KP lush green.
Comments
Comments are closed.