LAHORE: Civic agencies, including Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), launched the Chief Minister’s Plant for Pakistan drive to observe the World Forest Day on Thursday.

The departmental heads of civic departments visited various spots where they planted saplings. They also set up various points to distribute free plants among the public.

The LDA organised inaugural event for the ‘Plant for Pakistan’ drive at the LDA Avenue-1 housing scheme where its Director General Tahir Farooq and other officers concerned planted saplings after inaugurating a Miyawaki forest wherein 6,000 saplings were planted.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Farooq said, “It is the time to save the country from the worst impacts of the deteriorating environmental situation by planting more and more saplings and taking care of them. We are planting 200,000 saplings in Lahore city alone.”

He also distributed plants among the residents gathered there.

The PHA kicked off the tree planting drive by involving the public.

LDA Director General Tahir Wattoo said: “We will distribute a huge number of saplings among the people at 30 designated points of the city district.” Meanwhile, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has appealed to the people to become part of the campaign. “Plant a tree and do away with the hazards of smog,” she said.

She said for the first time the plantation record and numbers would be identified through the latest QR code and the usage of GIS technology. “We will oversee and ensure that trees should be seen planted on the earth and not on papers,” she said.

Presiding over a meeting in this respect, senior minister Maryam Aurangzeb said over 1.5 million plants would be planted along highways, riversides, forests and other areas.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024