ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Climate Change on Saturday announced that it will plant 250 million saplings in spring season.

PM’s Adviser on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said Prime Minister Imran Khan would kick off the drive on in Kundian Forest area in Mianwali district on ‘Plant for Pakistan’ Day on Feb 23.

Talking to mediapersons in connection with the preparations and targets for the spring season tree plantation campaign, Malik Amin Aslam said afforestation activities had been prioritised by the present government.

“Forests have been recognised as the most effective, cheapest way to tackle fallouts of global warming-caused climate change on the country’s critical socio-economic sectors, particularly agriculture, water, energy and health,” he said.

He said the prime minister would launch the national spring tree plantation drive by planting a sapling in one of the country’s oldest Kundian forest area.

The drive will continue across the country till June 30 under the theme ‘Restoration of Degraded Forests’ under 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (10 BTTP).

The adviser said a target of around 250 million tree saplings had been fixed for the spring 2020 season with the aim to re-invigorate the country’s ailing forestry sector.

These saplings would be planted across the country, most of them in new vacant areas as well as degraded forests, he added.

“Trees help protect soil from degradation and regulate water on farms, mitigate floods, regulate weather and enrich biodiversity. Besides, crops grown in agro-forestry systems are often more resilient to drought, excess rain and erratic weather patterns,” the prime minister’s adviser said.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Ultimate price
Updated 02 Nov, 2024

Ultimate price

To dismantle culture of impunity for crimes against journalists, state must ensure that perpetrators do not go unpunished.
Mastung bombing
02 Nov, 2024

Mastung bombing

INSTABILITY continues to haunt Balochistan, as Friday morning’s bombing in Mastung has shown. At least nine...
Plane speak
02 Nov, 2024

Plane speak

DESPITE all its efforts to facilitate PIA’s privatisation, it seems the government only ended up being taken for a...
Seeking investment
Updated 01 Nov, 2024

Seeking investment

Foreign visits will be fruitless unless crucial structural, policy reforms directly affecting investors are focused.
State-backed terror
01 Nov, 2024

State-backed terror

OVER the past year or so, India’s reportedly malign activities in foreign countries have increasingly come under the radar, with
Shared crisis
01 Nov, 2024

Shared crisis

WITH Lahore experiencing unprecedented levels of smog, the Punjab government has announced a series of “green...