KARACHI: “We need to plant trees to improve the environment as plants will benefit future generations for decades to come,” said Sindh government spokesperson and Adviser on Law, Environment & Coastal Development Murtaza Wahab on Saturday.

He was speaking at the inaugural function of the botanical garden at Karachi University as the chief guest.

He regretted a lack of tree planting in Karachi and said he was happy that attention was being paid to tree planting in Karachi University as global warming was actually a “global warning” so every individual and every student must plant at least one tree.

He also said the Sindh government had planted 30,000 saplings in the Urban Forest at Clifton and thousands of fruit and flower plants in Karachi’s Hill Park.

Mr Wahab further said that 43,000 students were studying in Karachi University. “If every student plants a sapling, the university would present a more beautiful look, and if we all adopt the same style as a nation, the environment would change.”

Botanical garden, Covid-19 vaccination centre inaugurated

On this occasion, the acting KU Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Iraqi said that along with botanical research, plants were also grown in the Karachi Botanical Garden.

In that context, 200,000 plants had been planted in Karachi University during the tree plantation campaign and KU was part of the Sindh Environment Department’s ‘Clean and Green’ campaign.

Coronavirus vaccination centre

In addition, Barrister Murtaza Wahab inaugurated a coronavirus vaccination centre at Karachi University. He was accompanied by Dr Iraqi, PPP MPA Sadia Javed, Moazzam Qureshi and members of the KU syndicate.

Mr Wahab said that the employees of the university and their families and the students of the university would be able to benefit from this vaccination centre, therefore, it was the national and moral duty of every citizen to follow the coronavirus SOPs and get vaccinated.

He added that the establishment of vaccination centres in educational institutions had sent a message that everyone should be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Sindh government had cooperated for this vaccination centre and ordinary citizens could also benefit from it.

Later, while talking to reporters the Sindh government spokesperson said that the administration had set up vaccination centres at all levels and teachers, students and every citizen could get vaccinated there free of cost.

The Sindh government has also set up vaccination centres for industrialists and lawyers.

He further said that citizens should not pay attention to negative things and fulfil their national responsibility by getting themselves vaccinated.

More than 1.2 million people in Sindh have been vaccinated. The staff of the health department has done valuable work in difficult situations. The KU vaccination centre has all types of Covid-19 vaccines.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2021