PHA plans to expand urban forestation

Dept starts working on identifying more spots to be developed under plantation project

LAHORE:

The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has devised a comprehensive plan to expand urban forestation after successfully completing plantation of 51 Miyawaki urban forests in the provincial capital.

The PHA, on Punjab government initiative, developed 51 urban forests in various selected areas of the provincial capital. After getting green signal from the authorities concerned, the department started working on identifying more spots to be developed under the project.

PHA Director Horticulture Misbahul Hassan Dar told APP that the scope of the clean and green initiative of the provincial government would further be expanded to surroundings of Lahore.

The PHA planted different species of trees in accordance with the Miyawaki technique of plantation and developed 51 urban forests in the city, which was covering the total land of 153.75 kanals of land and around 160,605 various kinds of saplings and plants had been planted in these urban forests, he added.

Read CCRI to modernise research programme

A PHA spokesperson, while giving some details of the project, said that the growth of saplings, which were planted under the particular technique, was 10 times faster than normal plants, adding that these mini urban forests were properly maintained by the authority and play crucial role in controlling pollution in the city.

She said, “These saplings absorbed 40% carbon dioxide, which helped reduce environmental pollution sufficiently.”

Responding to a question, the spokesperson said that around four Miyawaki urban forests had been set up at Jilani Park on over 12 kanals of land and 13,250 saplings were planted in the four urban forests to enhance the beauty of the city, adding that these forests in Jilani Park were attracting visitors a lot these days.

She said that four such forests were established in Jilani Park, as many in Jallo Botanical Garden, five at Canal left side of Harbanspura to Fatehgarh and two at Halloki Interchange.

About completion of project, she said that less than a year was spent for completion of the project .The first urban forest in the city was inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar at Shadman Market Park in August 2020.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2021.