KARACHI: Over a thousand fruit plants would gradually be grown in Karachi University (KU) in phases as part of a plantation drive which was launched on the campus on Thursday.
Launched in collaboration with Naurus Private Limited, the drive on its first day saw plantation of Madras thorn (jungle jalebi), lemon, java plum (jamun), tamarind (imlee), and Jujube saplings at KU’s Sardar Yasin Malik School.
The company will supply at least 1,000 fruit tree saplings to the university under an agreement.
“The university is also working on an urban forest project and block plantation that would cover an area of 25 acres. The land has already been allocated for the purposes for which the university has the assistance of forest and wildlife departments,” said Dr Muhammad Faheem Siddiqui, the secretary of landscape gardening council at KU, during the launching ceremony.
Only local fruit species would be planted in the current drive, he added.
Dr Siddiqui also briefed the audience about the previous plantation drives launched at KU in collaboration with the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and the Rotary Club and said the university had employed drip irrigation and pitcher irrigation techniques to maintain the plantation.
Speaking at the ceremony, the company’s executive director Tajammul Hussain Chishti said that he being a KU alumnus would like to contribute to the development of the university.
In his speech, KU acting Vice Chancellor Prof Khalid Iraqi emphasised the need for joint efforts to reduce environmental challenges, such as climate change, and said such projects would be helpful in meeting this objective.
The VC also appreciated the role of alumni and termed it a positive sign for university’s development.
Bohra community tree plantation at YMCA
The Sindh Chief Minister’s Adviser on Law, Environment and Coastal Development Barrister Murtaza Wahab participated in a tree plantation campaign at the YMCA Ground in collaboration with the Bohra community here on Thursday.
Hoping to see a lush green YMCA ground soon, Barrister Wahab said that he was grateful to the Bohra community who had always supported him be it for tree planting or other charitable works. “We will extend the scope of the tree planting campaign from Karachi to Kashmore. If we all plant one plant at a time, it can beautify as well as improve our environment,” he said.
He said that encroachments on YMCA Ground had been removed in light of the directives of the Supreme Court. “We want the people here to come and enjoy this ground,” he said.
Barrister Wahab said that the Sindh government was spending Rs50 million on the YMCA Ground. “Earlier, it was being used for commercial purposes, hosting wedding ceremonies, etc. Now the Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat is helping restore this ground,” he informed, adding that they will be planting one thousand trees at the ground by also involving schoolchildren in the planting process.
He also said that the fertiliser which they were using was interesting because it was compost from kitchen waste that had home-grown vegetables and garbage.
Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2020
