Tree felling ravages Margalla Hills

Activists urge authorities to reconsider impact of uplift projects on capital's green cover

ISLAMABAD:

The home of Margalla Hills National Park, nestling a plethora of wildlife species and unique biodiversity near Lake View Park and across Murree Road, has been denuded by felling a large number of trees for two new development initiatives.

Shagufta Parveen, a student of Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) who commutes daily to her varsity through that road regretted the recent brazen tree-cutting event in the vicinity. She said that this patch of the major thoroughfare was lush green that reflected a grandiose view of massive foliage resembling to a forest that used to provide a nice ambience due to the concentration of fresh oxygen generated by the plants in the morning.

Parveen noted that a naturally vacant patch existed near the Bari Imam Junction of the Murree Road that had no tree cover and also required some infrastructure development to end the deserted look of that place.

"If there has to be development schemes in the area then it should be at the green places as the capital's iconic green cover was depleting due to such poorly planned and greed-based schemes that are eating up all the green spaces left," she added.

The QAU student urged the quarters concerned to take notice of the situation and review the decision of the civic agency intending to raise two new development projects on the site.

Aamir Khan, a climate activist based in the federal capital, said that the civic agency had an old and outdated reason for mutilating the green belts and spaces in the metropolis. He criticised the capital's civic agency for its decision to establish development schemes on green belts and underscored that globally green areas are vital to ensure clean air and a healthy environment in mega urban centres.

"But it was on the contrary in the case of Islamabad as its managers have their own set of knowledge and science that implies opposite to all globally established practices," he said. Khan also emphasised the need to protect and augment the existing green spaces in the federal capital as a massively rising number of development initiatives including road expansions were decreasing the tree cover of the federal capital.

Deputy Director General (DDG-I) Environment, Irfan Niazi said that two sites were selected on the 'Right of Way' of Murree Road for establishing a gas station and a service area. "The sites have been properly earmarked by the CDA's Planning Wing. Islamabad is a metropolitan and it is to be developed according to planning. The Right of Way on all major Roads and Avenues are therefore left for such services," he said.

The Right of Way along any planned thoroughfare or road is an area that has been planned as an untouched part of the road left for future expansion if required of that road to accommodate the increasing number of vehicular traffic due to the increasing population in a metro city.