RAWALPINDI: Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan said on Monday that small dams are needed in the four districts of Rawalpindi to address the climate and people’s lives, in light of the prime minister’s vision for a Clean and Green Pakistan.

Mr Khan was addressing a ceremony for the plantation of Magnolia trees at the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) on Monday.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has planted 132,000 plants so far, and intends to plant 250,000 over the next five years.

The authority has made an orchards master plan, according to which 1,500 trees will be planted on 16 acres of land.

Ministers plant trees in IIA compound

Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda, Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir, Aviation Secretary Shahrukh Nusrat, the airport manager and another senior CAA officials were also present.

Mr Khan said in his address that he was among the guests at the stone-laying ceremony for the new airport on May 6, 2006, and he was now planting a tree at IIA.

He said the Lahore and Karachi airports would also be made green through tree plantations.

Speaking earlier, Mr Nusrat said they wanted to make IIA an eco-friendly airport by making it ‘clean and green’ in light of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision, who wants to promote tourism in Pakistan.

He said under the programme, trees will be planted, safe drinking water will be provided, and solid and liquid waste management and sanitation will be improved.

Mr Vawda praised the aviation minister’s vision and his resolve to work for improvement. He also joked about the recent cabinet reshuffle, remarking that he was so uncertain about the change in ministers’ portfolios that he had asked his public relations officer to check that his portfolio had not been changed today.

Ms Wazir said in her address that the aviation portfolio is a difficult one, adding that Pakistan is a beautiful country with four seasons and mountains, but nobody had taken it seriously to keep the country clean and green.

She said that if every Pakistan made a pledge to keep the country clean and green, they would achieve their target.

“We will fight with timber, land and other mafias to make our country clean and green,” she said, adding that people of D.G. Khan and other remote areas also need an airport of international standards such as IIA.

“You are planting for the future of Pakistan,” she remarked.

The ministers and officials later planted Magnolia trees in the airport compound.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2019