Genocide of trees
The Supreme Court has expressed grave concern over the rapid deforestation in the country and has warned of troubled times ahead where there will be no rains and snowfall in different parts of the country increasingly exposing the populace to drought and hunger and a myriad of other problems. While recently resuming hearing of a tree-plantation case a three-member bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed, said there was no let-up in deforestation across the country in spite of the federal government’s claim of planting millions of trees.
Some startling facts were revealed during the course of the hearing like large-scale cutting of trees by the timber mafia in Swat and Kamrat valleys and the rapid disappearance of dense forests in Murree and Nathia Gali. If this situation is allowed to persist, K-P would soon be shorn of forests and trees putting a stop to rainfall and snowfall in the area depriving the region of natural beauty. The region attracts tourists in large numbers, but as these areas are gradually losing their attraction due to activities of the greedy timber mafia, tourists will stop visiting these areas thus affecting the tourism industry. This will give rise to unemployment and a whole lot of other problems, so urgent remedial measures are needed to stem the rot.
The Chief Justice mentioned that there were no trees along the River Indus and the Sindh government had awarded the entire katcha area to private individuals for farming, thought at least government land along the katcha area should have dense forests. Justice Ijazul Hasan referred to the Sindh government’s response to the court’s directive to annul the allotment of forest land and expressed amazement that instead the provincial government brought a legislation that gave legal protection to earlier allotments. It’s time to stop genocide of trees to prevent forests turning into deserts. Deforestation means less oxygen in the air and little left to breathe.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2020.
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