May 25, 2006	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 26, 1427

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LAHORE, May 24: Various organisations and NGOs have expressed concern at reported plans of the government to cut thousands of trees along canal banks for widening roads to cater to increasing vehicular traffic needs.

The Lahore High Court Bar Association’s environmental protection committee has announced that it will move a court if authorities take the step without a proper assessment of the impact of the project on the environment.

Akhtar H. Awan of the Ecogreen Law Associates has earlier got issued a court warning against communication and works department officials for felling of trees to construct The Mall and FC College underpasses on the Canal Bank Road ignoring the environment laws.

Ijaz Anwar of the Lahore Conservation Society says the Society will raise the issue from their forum. “The trees in the Mayo Gardens are already on their way to the altar of development and now the authorities are targeting the greenery along the canal,” he laments.

“What will be the future of our birds in the city as flora and fauna go together?”

Criticising the rulers for their ‘thoughtless’ policies, he says earlier all roads would go to Raiwind (a reference to Sharifs’ development around their lands) and now all roads start from the Chaudhrys’ houses in Gulberg to motorway and then onward to Gujrat.

He points out that the authorities have not yet planted saplings they have promised to while felling trees for constructing the underpasses which have resulted in chain accidents.

The widening of the canal bank roads will not only result in slaughter of trees but will also submerge the houses along the water channel during rainy seasons when deep areas along the canal will be filled for adding a couple of lanes to the road, he adds.

Amjad Aslam of WWF-Pakistan says the likely slaughtering of the trees will be very damaging and demands that citizens should be taken into confidence if at all the step is necessary.

“But there should be some rationale behind it because environment is the first victim in the way of development though we don’t oppose development,” he argues.

He says it is difficult to scientifically measure the environmental damage because of cutting trees, as their role is complex. “The trees are carbon sink as they consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air during its photosynthetic process.”

Replacing one tree with four saplings is not a good equation, he says. “Moreover, we don’t know which insect or bird uses one specific species of plant as its habitat. Destruction of their natural habitat will endanger their existence, which may have an important role in the ecosystem.”

The trees also offset the impact of heat generated by motors while they also add to beauty of a locality and by felling them “we shall be losing all these benefits,” he says.