Rawalpindi city’s first Miyawaki forest will be inaugurated by the end of this month, said Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Tariq Murtaza.
Talking to The Express Tribune, he said that beautiful colourful lights were being installed along the grassy and lush green lawns to enhance the beauty of the forest, where children could also play. A small tuck shop was also being set up there, he said.
“Safety of the people comes first so we have deployed security guards at the forest and close circuit cameras are also be installed,” he said.
The forest, where new benches have also been installed, is spread over three acres of land adjacent to Rialto Square Murree Road. The land for the urban forest was prepared by the team that installed Miyawaki forest in Lahore.
At present, work is under way to install the main gate of Miyawaki forest, said the RDA chairman. This gate is being designed to keep in view the culture of the Potohar, he said.
Read Plan afoot to grow Miyawaki forests
A total of 8,500 saplings including 4,000 fruit-bearing trees of 40 types have been planted in the forest.
The forest was prepared in July and its saplings have grown up to 13 feet in height, said the RDA chairman, adding that it has become an extremely dense forest.
In Pakistan, the “Miyawaki method” has seen considerable success with the first few Miyawaki forests grown in Lahore. Now, Rawalpindi will implement the experimental technique to reap its benefits.
Under the urban forestation project, approximately 0.3 million saplings will be planted in the city during the monsoon season. Of these, the civic and administrative bodies will plant more than 0.2 million saplings under the Miyawaki forest technique. The RDA, Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment boards and the Parks and Horticulture Authority will plant 220,000 saplings along roadsides, road dividers, parks and other open areas.
RDA Chairman Murtaza said that the forest will be open for the public in mid-October. The official said they have chalked out a plan to utilize lands in all small and big parks of Rawalpindi for setting up Miyawaki forest, terming it necessary for ecological balance. He said that the plan will be implemented phase-wise.
Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) Chairman Asif Mehmood said that prior to this, they established a Miyawaki forest on six kanals of land in Allama Iqbal Park. He said they have planted 6,600 saplings there which have grown up to 14 feet long. The PHA chairman confirmed birds had also begun to return to the forest.
The RDA has decided to grow a third Miyawaki forest near the district katchery on Jhelum Road, he said adding that the cantonment board has rendered 15 kanals of land for the forest and land for it has already been prepared.
He said the authority will plant 10,000 saplings, half of which will be local fruit-bearing trees.
Read more Over 8,000 trees to bloom in first Miyawaki forest
He said that the relevant bodies have identified areas where plantations will be carried out.
He said that Murree Road, Rawal Road, Syedpur Road, Mall Road, Jhelum Road, Peshawar Road, Adiyala Road, Liaquat Road, GT Road Sawan Camp To Rawat, New Islamabad Airport Road, Pirwudhai Chowk, amongst others, have been selected to grow Miyawaki forests.
Origins of the Miyawaki technique
This method was invented by Dr Miyawaki Akira – a Japanese Botanist and Plant Ecology expert who passed away at the age of 93 in July 2021.
He conducted tedious research and experiments to develop his technique, a technique that helped counter the scarcity of trees in Japan.
The urban forestation initiative garnered widespread popularity. It is currently practised in 38 countries around the world. And Miyawaki’s book, The Healing Power of Forests, remains a part of school curricula across various countries.
His technique is ideal for cities with a shortage of land, as forests can be grown within merely four metres. Once fully formed, the urban forests are beneficial to the overall ecology, in addition to helping birds navigate back to urban centres.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2021.
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