Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Caretaker Chief Minister, Justice (retd) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah, formally inaugurated the Spring Tree Plantation Campaign in the province by planting a sapling at the Chief Minister House lawn in Peshawar on Tuesday.
This campaign is set to sow over 12 million saplings across the province, with approximately five million designated for the Central Southern Region-I in Peshawar, 3.806 million for the Northern Forest Region-II in Abbottabad, and 3.784 million for the Malakand Forest Region-III in Swat. In total, 212 plantation activities are scheduled across the province.
During the event, the caretaker Chief Minister highlighted the indispensable role of forests in sustaining human life on Earth. He emphasized the urgency of implementing a comprehensive strategy to address the challenges posed by devastating floods, droughts, and other natural disasters exacerbated by climate change. He underscored the need to conserve existing forests while undertaking large-scale plantation efforts to significantly increase the province’s forest cover.
Read 40,000 saplings planted in one day
Justice (retd) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah stressed the importance of public participation in the Spring Tree Plantation Campaign, describing it as a national obligation and collective responsibility. He urged citizens from all segments of society to actively engage in the initiative, emphasizing the significance of preserving and expanding green spaces for future generations.
“Investing in plantation and conservation is essential for ensuring a pollution-free, clean, and green environment for our descendants,” he concluded, encouraging proactive involvement from all citizens to fulfill this vital mission.
He said that the issues arising from climate change have become a major challenge; we will have to take pragmatic steps under a comprehensive strategy to effectively deal with these challenges.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th 2024.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ