Green Pakistan Project: Meeting fails to decide on implementation

AJK, G-B, FATA show reservations at bearing 50 per cent cost of project.

ISLAMABAD: The first meeting of the Green Pakistan Project (GPP) failed to take any tangible decision to implement the project after three federating units showed reluctance to bear 50 per cent cost of the initiative.

Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid chaired the meeting held at the ministry on Thursday.

The project, a brainchild of the prime minister, aims to revive and boost forest cover besides taking steps for conservation of wild life.

An official of the Climate Change Ministry said the ministry was intending to convene another meeting next week to seek ‘useful suggestions’ from all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and ministries and departments to ‘put the initiative into effect practically’.

Though all federating units agreed to extend their full cooperation to implement the project that envisages plantation of 100 million trees in the next five years, representatives of AJK, G-B and FATA showed their hesitation

The project will incur a total of Rs10 billion and the federal government wants the federating units to bear 50 per cent cost of the scheme.

According to the cost-sharing formula, after contributing 50 per cent share, Punjab will get Rs2.5 billion, Sindh Rs2 billion, Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Rs1.5, Balochistan and AJK and Rs1 billion each, FATA and G-B Rs700 million each, the Capital Development Authority Rs500 million, and the Climate Change Ministry Rs100 million.

According to a source, AJK, FATA and G-B representatives flatly opposed the 50 per cent cost-sharing formula, saying that their status was not equal to provinces, all their development projects were funded by the federal government, and that they did not have their own financial resources to bear the cost.

“After the 18th Amendment, the forestry has been devolved to provinces but the federal government would extend full support to implement the project,” said the minster.

“We need to prepare strong and comprehensive projects to get our share from $100 billion World’s  Green Climate Fund, but this requires collective efforts and joint mechanism to save the nation from climate change effects”, he said.

K-P Forest Secretary Mazhar Shah assured his province cooperation saying since the K-P has enough saplings which could be offered to other provinces and adjoining areas.

He said the K-P government will complete plantation of one billion trees tsunami before 2018. He said that according to a GIZ study on floods preventive measures, the impact of disasters could be reduced by 56 per cent by taking pre-emptive measures.

AJK Chief Conservator Dr Shafiq said a mega project of carbon sequestration (long-term storage of carbon dioxide to either mitigate or defer global warming) was abandoned in the state due to suspension of funding after the 18th Amendment.

Punjab Additional Secretary Forest Shahid Awan said the provincial government has already initiated a tree plantation project.

Sindh Chief Conservator Ejaz Nizamani said the funds to be provided under the project to Punjab and Sindh were not enough as both provinces have vast plains. He emphasised public-private partnership to successfully implement the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th,  2016.