KARACHI: Faculty members, hundreds of students and a non-governmental organisation have transformed the once-neglected and “haunted” grounds of Sirajud Daullah Government Degree College in Federal Capital (FC) Area into an urban forest.

The initiative positions the educational facility as a pioneering public sector institution and a model for others in addressing the growing challenges of climate change.

The college, which is an old and well-known educational institution in district Central, offers education in two shifts.

The initiative, led by Principal Irfan Ahmed to utilise the available wide space, finally took shape when he engaged faculty members and students and reached out to an NGO focused on environmental issues.

“It was all about playing our part amid the growing challenges of climate change after we experienced the extreme summer season earlier this year,” he said. “It was also about engaging our students, making them aware of the issue’s sensitivity, and channelling their energy into something positive. The collaborative effort worked, and now we are quickly transforming our vast college grounds into an urban forest.”

Muhammad Ammar, a young sociology lecturer at the college who is the in charge of the project, says this is the first initiative of its kind at any government college in the city.

He recalled that a former college principal, the renowned educator Professor Lutfullah, had planted many neem trees during his tenure, which have since grown large and provide ample shade. Along with neem, some gundhani, sohjna, and acacia trees were also planted, he said.

“But these trees had never been pruned, nor had any pest control measures been applied. As a result, they grew chaotically, making it difficult for people to enter. Insects and crawling creatures, including mongooses and chameleons, became quite visible. Due to the presence of only neem and gundhani trees, only a few bird species would occasionally visit this jungle,” he added.

The college administration then reached out to Dua Foundation, which works on environmental issues. The NGO arranged for the pruning of trees and the removal of wild acacia bushes.

“A treatment to eliminate termites was applied to the trees to ensure their safety,” said Mr. Ammar. “Currently, there are about 100 trees in the mini urban forest, and we are adding another hundred flowering and fruit-bearing trees. These include Gulmehr, Amaltas, Champa, Alstonia, Cassia glauca, Sukhchain, Terminalia, Sohjna, Olive, Jamun, Fig, Almond, and Mulberry, among others. All of these are well-suited for Karachi’s environment and will enhance biodiversity in the area.”

The college principal then contacted officials from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) to secure water supply and assigned dedicated staff for the care of all the trees and plants.

Dr Faiyaz Alam of Dua Foundation said the urban forest at Sirajud Daullah College has been named after the college’s former principal, Professor Lutfullah, whose family has shown interest in the project and provided financial support as well.

“Currently, we have covered around two acres for the urban forest,” he said. “Now we are planning to expand it by another acre of the college grounds, where we will use the Miyawaki technique from Japan. This method is based on the concept of Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV) and focuses on regenerating forests by closely planting a variety of tree species best suited for the locality.”

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2024