Why does Islamabad hate trees?

My first stay in Islamabad was many decades back when as a young school student, I came here to attend the World Scout Jamboree. It was mid 70s and like all scout gatherings, it was a big camp spreading over many acres in the foothills of Margalla hills. In the early morning, we were guided by earlier arrivals to the hot springs near our camps and they became our daily place to freshen up instead of cold water available from the camp administration. As kids we were very surprised to see that hot springs were just a few feet above the ground while cold-water streams were also flowing on the ground. I still could remember dozens, if not hundreds, of small fish in these crystal-clear waters unworried about humans. That was the Islamabad which many old residents of the city still remember.

Nearly twenty years ago, I returned from abroad and Islamabad was going to be my new home. House rents in Islamabad then were at least twice if not thrice more than the rent of a similar house in Lahore in a similar location. Once I started looking for the house, I quickly realised that nearly one hundred per cent of newly built houses had no gardens. These were one kanal houses strategically built to get maximum rent by building a full basement, ground floor and first floor with the purpose of renting all sections individually. The mandatory open space in front of the house was also filled with concrete in most houses to make space for parking.

This attitude was very different from Lahore from where I was coming, where each one kanal house had enough green spaces including front and back lawns. Even people with 5 marla houses used to keep some green space. It was very hard for me to find a house in Islamabad with some green space and the one I finally picked had a few feet of green space (still less than 10 feet). Though it was a very small "lawn", in the morning, many times I would just go there to start my day.

Maybe the public in Islamabad was behaving the way its rulers were doing business for the last many years. Total disregard for keeping green spaces is evident everywhere in our country but the way it is being done in Islamabad is embarrassing because this is happening right in front of top leadership.

Faisal Avenue or last part of Islamabad highway was my favourite road in the city because alongside the road there was a lot of greenery on inclined sides on both sides. When it was decided to widen the road, they were all gone. It was not just a beauty loss, but it kept Kachnar Park safe from traffic exhaust as a natural barrier. Once that was gone, not only was the radius of the park reduced from three to two kilometres, but it also made walking tracks next to a busy road with no barriers. This is very hazardous for anyone who walks there, thinking of it as a healthy exercise in the morning. I personally now walk on the farthest track from the road to save myself from the hazardous traffic fumes as much as possible.

A few years back there was an effort to convert NARC land to a housing society. It went all the way to then Prime Minister's Office but scientists around the country made such hue and cry that this was shelved. This year no one asked NIH and just bulldozed their green areas to provide a 800-meter-wide road to a housing society even though an existing road is already being widened. Acres of trees have been cleared from Shakarparian suddenly in the context of allergy. Without a phased approach it's like damaging the lungs of an already struggling city.

Housing societies are important but not as important as you. It does not matter how much property you may own, if the environment is degrading, everyone will suffer. If not for the poor citizens, do it for the rich and mighty. We are in this boat together. We need to get the trees back in Islamabad. Tress not only filter the air for us but also provide ecosystem for birds and animals. Once you cut a tree, a whole echo system collapses with it. Decision about cutting trees is not a trivial one and should only be made once we have understanding of full environmental impact.