UPPER DIR: Majority of trees planted during the Billion Tree Tsunami Project in Upper Dir some five years ago have been growing strong and healthy, enhancing natural beauty of the district.

Upper Dir has several tourist spots like Kumrat valley, Jehaz Banda, Usheri Dara, Zakhana, Sky-land and Sheklai Top besides lakes, waterfalls and dense forests almost everywhere in its hilly parts.

However, beauty of the district has increased as new forests have been developed after plantation of trees in various campaigns. This has also created new tourist and picnic spots, especially for the local people.

Divisional forest officer Abdul Majeed said at a function organised in connection with spring plantation drive 2020 that they had selected those areas for the campaign which had no plants.

He claimed that they had achieved their target of 80 per cent growth during the plantation drive from 2014 to 2018. He also lauded the cooperation of the people of Upper Dir, saying that landowners had given their lands to the forest department for plantation and then worked for protection of the plants.

Mr Majeed said that trees had been planted in areas near Dir city, while people were frequently visiting these new tourist spots.

Deputy commissioner Khalid Iqbal Khattak also visited some of those areas to observe the plantation. After the visit, he praised the forest department for developing new forest areas in the district.

The local people also showed happiness over presence of thick forests in the district.

The DFO said that trees would be planted over 2,600 acres only in Dir forest division during the spring plantation campaign 2020. He said that a total of 2.5 million saplings would be planted, adding that fruit trees and flower plants would also be distributed among the people of the district.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2020