The timber mafia has left no stone unturned in destroying the forest reserves of Pakistan
LAHORE: This refers to the news item “Penalty for tree-cutting to get tougher” published in this newspaper on November 27. According to the news, a meeting presided over by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif decided to enhance the punishment for cutting trees through an amendment to the Parks and Horticulture Authority Act of 2012. The chief minister has taken a very appropriate decision and it is our hope that the new law will be implemented in letter and in spirit and no one will be deemed to be above the law.
The timber mafia, which seems to be very powerful with support from the higher-ups, has left no stone unturned in destroying the forest reserves of Pakistan, which now stand at less than 2.5 per cent of the total land area, the consequential effects of which are severely impacting the environment, resulting in extremely hot weather, dwindling rainfall and the spread of various diseases. The timber mafia has been left unchecked and is minting money at the cost of our future generations, which face the possibility of living in a country without forests. Even in countries like Bhutan and Nepal, the total forest area is 72 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively. Our forest reserves are declining at an alarming rate of three per cent per annum and the decision taken by the chief minister, although made late, should still help in preserving badly-needed trees in the country.
The reasons for the decline in forest reserves are numerous. These include illegal construction, setting up of industrial units in the most fertile areas and emission of dangerous gases from power plants, along with discharge of chemically potent water from industrial units. The recent trend of using wood in the furnaces of wood-fired boilers and kilns has doubled the rate of forest destruction. With an increase in the price of furnace oil, most industrial units switched over from boilers to wood-burning. To produce one tonne of steam per hour, approximately 250kgs of wood is used. Normally, small and medium range boilers produce five to 10 tonnes of steam per hour and I leave it to the readers and researchers to calculate the amount of wood being wasted in boilers and the devastating impact on the environment of this ugly and dangerous business. Industrial units prefer to utilise the cheaper fuel option, ignoring the ultimate impact of their financial shortcuts on the environment and the future of the country. Trees commonly used by industry include Acacia, also known as Kikar, Talli, Eucalyptus, Pine and Chesham. These trees take several years to attain full height but only seconds to burn, causing an irreparable loss of forests and severely affecting the atmosphere. There are alternative sources of energy available in abundance, which, if used in place of wood, will yield better results. It is expected that the government will strictly prohibit the use of wood in furnaces and severely punish and heavily fine those found breaking the law. All equipment should be confiscated and appropriate steps taken to forcefully stop manufacturing of wood-fired boilers.
Aamir Aqil
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2015.
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