This loss is not just monetary in nature, the damage to the environment is incalculable
LAHORE: On October 8, my friend and I left Islamabad for a trip to Gilgit, Hunza and further towards the Khunjerab border. After spending a night in Besham, we headed on towards Chilas. The road was in very poor condition and very few private vehicles could be seen. Between Besham and Chilas, we saw an example of massive corruption and destruction of our natural resources in the shape of deforestation that has compelled me to write this letter. On several locations, we saw huge piles of timber neatly piled on both sides of the road. Each pile contained thousands of logs of prized diyar wood, and a few watchmen sitting to guard them. I took a few photos of the whole scene upon which some of the guards started protesting and we decided to move on.
A few miles further, we saw another similar sight and decided to go to a young guard, posing as customers. After initial hesitation, he told us that his father was in the forest department and if we settle the price with him, a truckload could be delivered to any location we want. The price of diyar in local markets is about Rs6,000 per cubic foot, and even if we slash it by half, the value of all those piles would be in tens of billions of rupees. This loss is not just monetary in nature, the damage to the environment is incalculable. Would anybody dare to do something about this state of affairs?
Waqas Ahmad Mela
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2014.
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