Rawalpindi to have largest Miyawaki forest

Official says it will be planted at connecting point of rural and urban areas in Gorakhpur

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has approved the project to grow the third and the largest Miyawaki forest in the Rawalpindi region to make the city green.

The new and the largest Miyawaki forest of the region will be planted at the connecting point of the rural and urban areas in Gorakhpur, on an area of 1,000 kanals. The preparations to grow the forest will be started from the first week of October.

RDA chairman Tariq Murtaza and director general will inspect the Miyawaki forest site in Gorakhpur on Monday, October 3. Around 200,000 to 250,000 trees will be planted in the Miyawaki forest of the large area. It has also been approved to plant 70,000 trees of local fruits of the four hilly tehsils of Kohsar and Potohar region.

The main reason for creating this big Miyawaki forest at the connecting point of the rural and urban areas is to breed all the wild animals that have left the city for the small forests of the rural areas. All the fruit trees for the food of these wild birds will be planted here in thousands. There will also be a lot of large trees that provide shade and safe shelters.

According to the RDA chairman, in this big Miyawaki forest apples, pears, grapes, small and large types of jujube, all types of mulberries, plums, fragrant manjack and other fruit trees of the region will be planted. Further, different shade providing trees including neem and date trees will also be planted in abundance.

Murtaza said that in order to protect the wild birds from rain and wind, the nests made of beautiful coloured wood will be installed on the branches of trees. A mini pond and food will also be arranged for the wild birds in the forest. He said that the Miyawaki forest, which was first grown by the RDA at Murree Road Rialto Chowk, has now become a dense forest with fruit bearing, shade trees, reaching the height of 20 to 25 feet. The birds are also active here and the trees planted here have borne the record quantity of fruit for the second time.

The RDA chairman said that after the successful Miyawaki forest, a new forest has been approved to grow on a wide area. This new forest will be completed in the next 90 days until December 31. He said that gardeners will also be appointed for its safety and security. Irrigation of this huge forest will not be a problem. In Gorakhpur, RDA has also finalised the big water tank project under Water and Sanitation Agency.

This is all state-owned land. The new Miyawaki forest will bring a pleasant change to both urban and rural areas. “After that we plan to grow an even bigger Miyawaki forest in Rawalpindi,” he said.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2022.