Date trees planted on University Road dry up

Experts criticise PPP govt for lack of planning

KARACHI: At least 300 date tress that were planted between Civic Centre and Safoora Chowrangi on University Road have dried up, costing around Rs60 million loss to the national exchequer.

During its last tenure, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had planted trees after renovating the University Road. The ruling government was criticised for not consulting with environmental experts before planting these trees.

Due to lack of care, the trees lost their vitality just within eight months. Interestingly, the trees were planted at a location - the median of University Road - where a bus rapid transit system is planned to be constructed.

According to the environmental experts, the government had let millions of rupees wither and the project was started without any proper planning.



"These [date] trees are not meant to provide shelter," experts said, adding that the trees are suitable to be planted in a desert environment and they are not fit for Karachi's atmosphere.

Commenting on the cost of the project, environmental experts said, "There is a date tree market in Khairpur where these kinds of trees can be found at very economic rates".

Besides, the experts viewed the rise in the temperatures of the city as the prime reason for the drying up of trees and expressed that "there is a 92% probability that the drying up of new date trees was because of extreme heat".