ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is suffering from the effects of climate change mainly due to absence of forest cover as massive plantation can avert disasters caused by floods.

This was said by environmentalist Shahida Kausar Farooq, who is also the chairperson of Subh-e-Nau, a non-governmental organisation in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“Massive tree cutting had brought us to this situation that we are facing floods every year which could easily be avoided by increasing forest cover,” she said and added Subh-e-Nau back in 2009 was able to get the National Tree Plantation Day approved for August 18 which was a milestone towards tackling the environmental issues.

“Unfortunately the tree plantation issue has not received much attention at government level and we have been doing plantation at private levels which is not enough to tackle the dangerous and alarming environmental issues of our country,” she said.

The environmentalist said recent example of deadly heat wave in Karachi should be enough for us to wake up.

Mrs Farooq strongly advocated plantation of indigenous (local) species, which includes fruit trees which are suitable for our type of climate. She appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and chief ministers of all provinces to make this National Tree Plantation Day a success.

While talking to Dawn Mrs Farooq said in 2007, he agreed that August 18 will be observed as a national plantation Day. His successor Yousuf Raza Gilani observed the day at government level but later day was ignored. “Government should observe national plantation day every year because only that is how floods can be controlled and environment can be maintained,” she said.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2015

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