Going green: Knock Knock. Want a free plant?

CBC starts drive to distribute saplings of fruit trees in every house with a lawn

KARACHI:

If Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) officials come knocking on your door, open them wide as they are distributing seeds of fruit trees without any charges.

Since the beginning of October, CBC has been supplying free fruit saplings to DHA and Clifton residents in a door-to-door campaign, ‘Plant a Tree’. Their men have been ringing doorbells in hopes that they will encourage more and more people to plant fruit trees in their lawns.

A similar drive was held on Saturday afternoon when CBC personnel donned caps and jackets as they approached houses on Khayaban-e-Rahat’s 31st Street, their Suzuki van laden with saplings of fruit-bearing trees.

“We are giving out free fruit trees,” one of the workers told the gatekeeper at a house. This surprised the house owner, Saira Javed, who was standing nearby. “Free trees?” she asked. Once she was convinced that the drive was legitimate, she delightfully requested for saplings of lemon and pomegranate trees.

“I have lived here for 30 years and I remember how the area was completely barren in the early days,” she said. “Now the area has become greener as people here take special interest in trees.” Javed was surprised the authorities were not charging the residents but she was happy they took such an initiative.

Residents from each house are offered two saplings and they can chose from varieties of pomegranate, jamun, lemon and guava. CBC spokesperson Amir Arab Ali said they decided to give out free plants in a first-of-its-kind campaign aimed at increasing greenery in the locality.

Beat the heat

The idea for the campaign came in the wake of the deadly heatwave the city witnessed in June, said CBC horticulture department incharge Saqib Sajjad. “As the climate is getting warmer, we thought of steps we can take to counter its effects,” he said. “We wanted to increase greener spots and decided to supply fruit trees to people so it encourages them to plant more.”

The CBC is offering two saplings per house from DHA Phase I to VII, and Clifton blocks 8 and 9.  “Some people are asking for 10 saplings but we have only allowed one house to take up till six,” said Sajjad.

The one-month long campaign will cover 60,000 residential units, and to give out 120,000 plants. People can also make requests by completing a form available with the flyer or go to the CBC website. Only houses with lawns or green vicinities will be covered, and commercial areas will not be included, Sajjad pointed out.

Taking better care

The reason why CBC decided to plant these trees at homes and not on the roadside is because they will be better protected, explained Sajjad. People can damage the saplings on the roads, he added.

The residents who accept the saplings sign a receipt that mentions how many and which kind of saplings they procured. The municipal body plans to follow-up by visiting these homes in the future and handing out certificates to those who have taken good care of their saplings.

The saplings will grow into small trees, the lemon sapling will grow up to eight feet and bear fruit after two years, the guava and pomegranate will rise up to 15 feet and bear fruits within 2 .5 years and three years, respectively, while jamun will take time.

The CBC refused to disclose how much the campaign cost them. The cost of each sapling is, however around Rs60.

Ready to plant?

Khayaban-e-Rahat resident Sadia Tariq enthusiastically asked for more saplings when she was given details about the campaign but not everyone felt the same way. A female domestic help at one of the houses on B Street made the CBC team wait 15 minutes and then shouted, “We don’t want any”.

“We have almost covered Phase VII and nearly 10 per cent of the people did not want to listen and didn’t want the plants,” said Sajjad, adding that some people were suspicious the CBC will add charges through taxes.

The CBC had estimated to spend 10 minutes at each house but it is taking them nearly 20 minutes as the guards take time to go inside and inform the house owners, said Amjad, whose team is working in the morning and evening shifts.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2015.