THIS refers to the tree plantation campaign of the government which is likely to start on Feb 13. Things are bound with priorities, and priorities come through interests. We do things which are part of our conscience, or else we usually avoid a lot of things.  The same situation is with environment. More often we talk about the importance of environment and show our concerns about how to save and improve it but it is not our priority.We have been listening for years that environmental issues should be incorporated in school curriculum as a subject but it has not yet materialized. Actually, the main issue is nurturing plants and not plantation.

We usually plant trees to add greenery but do not nurture them. In the monsoon 2009, more than 532,887 saplings were planted in a day by the federal ministry of environment in cooperation with the Sindh forest department and local people in financial coordination with the National Bank.

Although Pakistan set a world record, now there is no sign of any plant and the place gives a dismal view. A few days ago I visited the National Highway (Five), Hyderabad via Thatta, where an NGO runs a project of afforestation. Along the road, some areas are lush green, while at some places plants were damaged due to lack of awareness among the area people.

I was surprised to see that plants were in good shape where there was no human population, but were damaged by cattle along the villages.  Cattle owners never care for this damage. Lala Fazal Ahmed Belaee, a forestry consultant, SAFWCO, and programme officer of the project, while narrating a story regarding the attitude of local authorities said: “When I met a former MNA and told him about the behaviour of the villagers, he told me that if cattle will not feed on those plants, they will suffer hunger and will die.”

Villagers now have developed a negative attitude towards biodiversity. During my visit I didn’t see a single tree in any village, though they know the importance of trees in their lives. Plantation is important but caring about its care is more important.

MEHRAN MALLAH Hyderabad