PESHAWAR, March 22: Owing to unplanned development and lack of cohesive strategies to combat the emerging threats to ecology of the region, the Frontier province, like other parts of Pakistan, is facing severe impact of global warming, environment experts told Dawn on Friday.

The concern for water shortage and production of sufficient food grains has attained alarming proportion in the absence of snow and rain patterns, shrinking habitat and forests throughout the country.

The fast depletion of green belts, parks and vast tracts of green pastures around the provincial metropolis and the haphazard construction of multi-storeyed residential quarters have changed the face of the once historical Peshawar city.

The sprawling green fields through which the Ring Road, encircling the city, sweeps are fast becoming extinct as property centres, real estate offices and petrol pumps have sprung up all along the road, the environmentalists feared.

Historic parks like Jinnah Park, Shahi Bagh, Wazir Bagh and Company Bagh (Khalid bin Walid Bagh) have all disappeared.

Ancient trees in the Peshawar cantonment and city have been ruthlessly mowed in the past five years or so and no heed is being paid to regulate construction of buildings.

The citizens are feeling a need for an environmental and heritage body to closely monitor the unplanned uplift activities.