IT is the kind of inexplicability that can perhaps be recognised only in the context of Pakistan. As a report published in this newspaper yesterday highlighted, bulldozers are in the process of destroying dozens of mature mangrove trees in Karachi’s Port Qasim area, clearing the land ahead of a private company’s plans to establish a power project. Why does this leave us scratching our heads? Because these mangrove forests have enjoyed protected status since the 1950s, and their cutting down in this manner is illegal — as pointed out by several officials contacted by Dawn. The private company has not obtained the forest department’s approval for uprooting the trees, the environment impact assessment report required by the law is yet to be submitted, and the chief conservator of the Sindh forests department says that the federal government has not contacted its provincial counterpart in this regard. Indeed, he emphasised that damaging mangrove forests without taking the government on board was illegal. Be that as it may, the work is under way at a rapid pace. Reportedly, the foundation-laying ceremony is to be performed by the prime minister.

There is never any shortage in this country of examples where the lure of short-term gains trumps a holistic vision for the future, and the case of the diminishing mangroves must be one such instance. Do the conservators and managers of the province’s natural resources need reminding of the tremendous pace at which forest cover is being lost, and of their duty to put on the brakes? In terms of mangroves, the density has decreased by an appalling 60pc since the 1950s. Clearly, they have also forgotten how important a part mangrove forests play in the coastal and marine ecosystems, which are already suffering from considerable and accelerating deterioration. It is true that the energy crisis that has the country in its grip means power generation is a priority. But surely not at the expense of the law being flouted and long-term ecological damage.