The social activists and elders from different parts of Swat have alleged that provincial government and forest department, contrary to their claims, have failed to control illegal cutting of forests in the district.

They said that despite making tall claims about saving forests, the PTI-led provincial government failed to introduce a transparent system of monitoring to stop illegal chopping of precious trees. They said that trees were illegally cut during nighttime.

According to Swat forest department, a total of 132,537.93-hectare land is covered with forest in the district, making 24.64 per cent of the total land cover. They said that plantation was carried out over 5358-hectre land during the billion tree project in Swat.

The social activists said that they witnessed illegal cutting of trees in the forests of Kokarai, Jambil, Barikot, Miandam, Sulatanr, Lalko, Bahrain, Kalam and many other areas.

“We have a proper network of local people in every area. They inform us when they see cutting and smuggling of trees. Following their information, we reach the spot to get its picture and videos,” said Yahya Khan Dawaltkhel, a social activist in Mingora. He said that the network found illegal cutting of trees in Jambil, Miandam and Matta area last year and informed the forest department about it but no action was taken against the timber smugglers.

Azharuddin Khan, another social activist, also said that he was concerned about the vast scale cutting of forests in the district. “Despite the tall claims of the provincial government to protect forests and stop illegal cutting of trees, I have personally seen fresh cutting in Kalam, Utror, Anakar forests. It shocked me,” he said and questioned the role of forest guards.

The local elders living near the forests said that forest department failed to stop illegal cutting. They said that timber mafia was active in cutting forest during the nights.

“At first trees in our forest were cut in the daytime openly. Now the influential people cut the trees in the night,” said the members of Jungle Bachao Committee in Charma, Sulatanr in Matta tehsil.

“We camped in the forest of Sulatanr area when we were trekking to Saidgai Lake when we heard sound of chainsaw. On inquiry, the local guides told us that cutting of trees was going on,” said Amjad Ali, a social activist and trekker in Swat. He added that he saw many trees cut down in the morning.

Mohammad Zubair Haji, a social activist in Bahrain valley, said that he found about 40,000 plants along the Swat River left by the forest officials. “The plants were meant to be planted during the billion tree tsunami drive but these were left along the Swat River,” he alleged.

He said that illegal cutting of trees could not be stopped in Bahrain and it continued regularly. He alleged that forest officials let the timber mafia to cut trees so that they could seize the chopped trees and then sell it in auction easily.

“When the forest officials seize illegally chopped timber, they immediately shift the same to unidentified places either to auction or sell it. The local people remain unaware of it. The confiscated timber must be auctioned in front of the local forest committees as practiced in Kalam,” said Mr Haji.

However, Alam Khan, a forest official in Bahrain, rejected the allegations of wasting thousands of plants after leaving them along the Swat River and said that the plants found along the river were broad leaved plants belonging to a private nursery and it had no connection with the billion tree project.

“For the confiscated wood, we have a proper procedure of auction. We first transport the timber to the forest depot in Saidu Sharif and then auction it with the approval of DFO Swat,” said the official. He also rejected the claims of local people about vast scale illegal cutting of trees in the forest.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2018