Driving through one of the roads of Karachi, I witnessed some people cutting down trees that grew on the either side of the road.

Bewildered and infuriated by their action I kept driving, fighting the urge to stop these people from committing this atrocious crime.

You may think I am exaggerating but, according to me, cutting down or pulling down trees is a very repulsive crime. People who commit this felony are not aware of the consequences of their actions. They are oblivious of the fact that they are not only endangering the environment of the present generation but also for the coming generations.

Keeping in mind the demand of wood and timber for the rapidly growing population, it is true that wood is needed in many industries and for production of many things but trees should not be cut at a rate faster than they can be replaced. But, unfortunately, forests all over the world are being cleared to fulfil the requirements of the population.

Trees are very important, both for the environment and humans. They not only keep check on pollution but also keep the environment fresh and healthy. Furthermore, trees provide us with food that is enriched with vitamins and minerals. And that wonderful and healthy food is none other than fruits!

In addition to this, they provide timber for industries and employment for people in the timber industry. Besides, all the parts of plants are used in the pharmaceutical industry in making useful medicines.

It is because of trees that the rate and amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide remain constant. When there are fewer trees, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air would increase as trees take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen.

The rapid growth in the industrialisation results in more demand of wood for making furniture, houses.

There are still a number of areas in Pakistan where people have no choice other than to use wood for cooking and heat because they still don’t have the natural gas to light stoves.

These are just a few reasons that have led to deforestation out of many others, and this is harming our environment with every passing day.

Deforestation happens when trees are cut down, leaving the humus-rich top soil which is exposed. So when it rains, the top muddy, moist soil is washed away in the waterways and into the rivers. And the subsoil which is left behind is very vulnerable to natural erosions. Moreover, the roots of the trees keep the soil together and so prevent soil erosion and floods. The soil that is carried through the river is usually deposited near the mouth of the dam, which causes situation (that is deposition of silt in the dam). Therefore, less water reaches the canals, resulting in less water for irrigation. Moreover, this also leads to disruption of the production of electricity, as the turbine at the power station will not turn at the required speed because the water pressure would be low due to situation.

Cutting off trees means that there would be less evaporation and therefore, less rainfall, which would result in drought and ultimately less food or worse, starvation. Beside, deforestation means that we are depriving birds and animals of their natural habitat.The only way that we can repair the damage done by us is by planting more trees, that is afforestation. This way we can create a balance in our ecosystem and can create a better and healthy environment.

So start planting trees!