KARACHI, April 25: The ongoing eucalyptus chopping drive undertaken by the Clifton Cantonment Board (CCB) has raised concerns among the residents of the DHA.
A source privy to the campaign said that the eucalyptuses were being chopped down under the directives of the defence ministry.
The authorities want to clear all the areas, falling within the jurisdiction of the cantonment boards all over the country, of eucalyptuses on emergent basis, as those were not good for human health, added the source, saying that boards had been asked to stop further plantation of the saplings of the species in question.
However, residents of Phase IV, like other parts of the DHA and the CCB, were not convinced with the action and they maintained that chopping of trees was not good from the human health and environmental point of view.
We are being deprived of a serene environment that we have not only grown used to but have actually painstakingly nurtured, said a woman from Phase-IV.
Conservationists say that if the trees in question are of such a bad class then why not the government issued a policy directive for every nook and corner of the country.
It seems that the defence ministry is acting on some immature or half true reports; otherwise it would have gone for acquiring comments and views from all forums concerned and taken the citizens into confidence prior to this campaign, said a horticulturist.
It was learnt that the CCB had auctioned the standing eucalyptuses about three months back, and under the agreement, the contractor was required to remove 681 trees from CC areas latest by May 31, 2006.
Be those small or large in numbers, operation against eucalyptus is to be carried out almost in all the phases of DHA, it was further learnt.
Referring to a talk with the board's official one citizen from the area said that the reason for chopping of trees was given as trees consumed too much sub-soil water, they caused asthma and their roots caused damage to the underground pipes. He feared that the cutting of trees would not help reduce salinity problems of the Defence and Clifton areas.
A survey of the areas in question revealed that the contactor's men had simply chopped the tree, leaving the roots intact, and took away the wood, littering the streets with leaves.
A social worker questioned that if the trees damaged the pipelines and roads, then why the roots were left unattended. He further added that the contractor's workers had indicated that they would be putting a chemical which would 'burn' these roots.
Surely another hazardous act as it would burn the other "non-harming" plants around it and damage the soil quality and pipelines as well.
When a Clifton Cantonment Board official dealing horticulture, Mr Kabir, was contacted for comments, he said that under the service rules and norms of the CCB, he was not in a position to speak publicly. He said that the executive officer of the board was the right person to talk to the press.
In the meantime, the National Forum of Environment and Health has held the ongoing drive against eucalyptus under the CCB as a wanton disregard to the environment and urged the chief justice of the Sindh High Court to take suo motu notice of the matter and put a stop to the cutting of the trees until the entire matter is clarified by the authorities concerned to the satisfaction of the court and the citizens.
KARACHI, April 25: The ongoing eucalyptus chopping drive undertaken by the Clifton Cantonment Board (CCB) has raised concerns among the residents of the DHA.
