KARACHI, April 23: Like many organisations and institutions, Earth Day was also observed in the new resettlement sites for those affected by the Lyari Expressway project along with plantation and cleanliness campaigns for a better environment.

On the occasion, groups of school children and their teachers went house to house and pursued the inmates to plant at least one tree in their house to make their locality beautiful and environment-friendly.

In relation to the Earth Day, a meeting was also held under the chairmanship of Project Director Shafiqur Rehman Paracha and attended by project officials, residents of the resettlement sites and school teachers.

It was decided that plantation and cleanliness campaign launched to mark the Earth Day would continue for a week.

It was informed that to promote plantation in the newly inhabited settlements and for their protection, modern system of drip irrigation had been introduced with the installation of windmills.

The meeting was informed that in the third resettlement site of Taiser Town, sewerage water had been treated and being used for supply of water to plant roots drop by drop through pipes carrying water produced by windmills. As a result the survival rate of plants has increased tremendously and they are now growing faster, it was further informed.

It was pointed out that this system was also effectively working at the Hawkesbay and Baldia resettlement sites.

The meeting reviewed the steps taken for plantation and cleanliness in the resettlement sites and was informed that so far over 50,000 plants had been planted, while a large number of green belts had also been developed around the main roads of these settlements.—APP