KARACHI: Spring is an ideal time for planting flowers and trees. Shehri-Citizens for a Better Environment (CBE) welcomed spring in a befitting way on Saturday morning by planting 60 fruit tree saplings at the Mazar-i-Quaid.

The tree saplings included 20 each of beri, known also as ziziphus mauritiana, Chinese date or Indian jujube, imli or tamarind, and badaam or almond. They were planted as part of Shehri’s million-tree campaign on the land adjacent to the Quaid Mazar Management Board (QMMB) where the NGO has been planting trees since April 2016 after their dispatching dumpers of soil mixed with manure to the site and digging pits for that fertile soil and tree saplings that were placed in them. They have also planted neem, gulmohar, jamun, jungle jalebi, kachnar, chikoo, pomegranate, guava and citrus fruit trees there.

“You know beri or ber, as it is commonly known, is in season these days and you will be surprised to learn that at Rs250 per kilogramme it is even more costly than apples, which are Rs200 per kg,” Amra Javed of the NGO, smilingly pointed out as she proudly walked one through the spacious lawns where so many of their earlier planted trees have stated bearing fruit as well as providing shade.

“Soon we will have lots of birds here as we are providing them the habitat. The beri, guava, almond trees will also beckon lots of green parrots,” she said.

The QMMB is building a sewerage treatment plant to ensure abundant water for plants and trees

4,000 trees planted so far

About the lawns, resident engineer and QMMB secretary Mohammad Arif said that the mazar grounds span 132 acres, of which 61 acres are where the actual mausoleum is built and 71 acres is the peripheral area plot where they have many trees planted by different people and organisations including Shehri-CBE.

“We have some 4,000 plants here which also include the trees that late Ardeshir Cowasjee encouraged people to plant around 1994 through his Tree Mazar Committee,” he said.

About how they water the plantation, the resident engineer said that they are also constructing a sewerage treatment plant so that there is always abundant water for watering the plants and trees.

“The pipes have already been laid out for drip irrigation on the mazar side. We would also be able to provide one million gallons of water to the city from this treatment plant,” he said.

Farrah Rahman, focal person, Clean & Green Karachi, and Jilani Yousuf of Rotary Club Karachi were also present on the occasion to support Shehri-CBE and planted trees along with their team.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2021