DADU: Unabated practice of chopping down trees to clear forest land for cultivation of crops by influential land-grabbers may bring about serious climatic changes and unleash natural disasters in Kachho arid zone in Dadu and Jamshoro districts, warn environmentalists.

They demanded the Sindh government should immediately take steps to protect forest cover by putting an end to tree felling to check further environmental degradation.

The influential land-grabbers who have encroached upon thousands of acres of land owned by the forest department chop down trees in forests in Kachho area that fall within the jurisdictions of Dadu and Jamshoro districts to clear land for cultivation and sell the logs as firewood to

brick kilns, hotels and homes in Dadu, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Mehar, Sehwan and Kotri towns.

Prominent environmentalist Naseer Ahmed Memon said the influential persons had been occupying forest land for the past 35 years and they had grown too powerful for the forest department to take action against them.

He urged the government to use modern satellite technology to probe causes behind fast vanishing of forest cover. It could unveil 150-year history of forests and the reasons behind their continuous shrinkage, he said.

Dr Sono Khangharani, renowned environmentalist and development expert, said that the trees locally called Kandi, Jaal, Khabbar, Pipur and Babbar were perfectly suitable for drought-hit areas as they could resist and withstand ill-effects of natural disasters because they had deep roots.

“When such trees are cut down, land becomes weaker and loses sustainability to retain and absorb rainwater for long periods. As a result, rainwater flows off to nearby low-lying areas, causing underground water brackish in these areas. It may also lead to cause other serious climate changes in Kachho and other arid areas of the province,” he said.

Zaffar Ahmed Junejo, an environmentalist, said the forest department was doing nothing to introduce plants which were favourable for arid land nor was it stopping the illegal practice of tree felling, which could unleash natural disasters.

Mashooq Birhamani, social worker, said that unabated practice of chopping down trees had seriously affected the area’s ecology and caused visible changes in climate. One of the proofs being that despite onset of winter in other areas, it was still hot in Kachho, he said.

He said that comparative study of last five years of rain in the area showed that amount of rain had gradually shrunk over the years and it rained relatively little this year. People were cutting down trees of Jaal, Khabbar and Kandi and selling them with impunity as there was nobody to stop them, he said.

Ghulam Nabi Rustamani, a resident of Wahi Pandhi, said that about 150 tractor-trollies loaded with logs were leaving the area on a daily basis for adjoining towns and nearby brick kilns. Forest department officials and local police had turned a blind eye to the illegal practice because of involvement of influential persons in the trade, he said.

Roshan Ali Khushik, office-bearer of a civil society organisation, said that Dadu forest division had 115,000 acres land in two districts of Dadu and Jamshoro out of which 30,000 acres had been occupied by influential persons and local political leaders.

He said that 5,000 acres in Dadu and 2,000 acres in Jamshoro districts had been given to people who had cut down the trees to clear land for cultivation of crops. Forest land in Manjhand, Unnarpur, Budhapur, Khadar Ji, Amri, Rajri, Keti Lalia, Keti Jatoi, Kandi, Bagban, Radhan, Kacho Mangsi, Kamal Deero and Nari had been encroached upon in connivance with forest department officials, he said.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2016