TAXILA: In celebration of the 77th Independence Day, the district administration Attock on Thursday launched an extensive tree plantation campaign.

As part of the festivities, over 10,000 trees will be planted across the district, with a target of over 400,000 saplings by the end of the Monsoon Tree Plantation campaign. The campaign kicked off at Pakistan Point situated in the Kalla Chitta forest range where students and volunteers planted saplings while hoisting the national flag.

Deputy Commissioner Attock Rao Atif Raza, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Waqas Aslam Marth, Additional Deputy Commissioner General Aneel Saeed, chief executive district education authority Ms Sajida Mukhtar, assistant commissioner city Shagufta Jabeen, divisional forest officer Ashfaq Bashir Bhutta and other officials of different departments participated in the Independence Day ceremony by planting trees.

In his address as the chief guest, DC Attock Rao Atif Raza emphasised the district administration’s commitment to celebrating Independence Day with a renewed focus on environmental conservation. He highlighted that Pakistan, ranked as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, faces significant environmental challenges. The campaign aims to plant 102,000 trees in tehsil Attock, 82,000 in tehsil Fatehjang, 42,000 in Pindigheb, 10,000 in tehsil Jand, and 165,000 saplings in tehsil Hassanabdal.

Mr Raza noted that saplings are being planted on land belonging to several government departments, including the Defence Department, and on private land in the region. “A minimum forest covering of 25 percent is necessary to keep the natural environment clean,” Mr Raza said. Given its drought-resistant qualities, olive farming will be promoted in the Barani areas of the district, especially Jand Basal and Pindigheb, he said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner General Aneel Saeed stated that the Spring Tree Plantation Campaign 2024 aims to increase greenery and preserve Attock’s green atmosphere.

He said that students of various schools and colleges should also be involved in the spring plantation campaign. He said that via electronic and social media, the residents of the district are encouraged to plant at least one tree on Independence Day to combat global warming.

Divisional forest officer Ashfaq Bashir Bhutta reiterated the nation’s challenges with climate change and called on the citizens to contribute to reforestation efforts.

He added that the forest department celebrated the day by planting 50,000 saplings.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2024