City Reporter
Islamabad Capital Territory would plant over 25,000 saplings during the ongoing monsoon in the outskirts to make city’s environment clean and green.
The Directorate of Agriculture Extension Services (AES) has chalked out a plan to plant both of fruit and forest varieties to check soil erosion, its Director, Waqar Anwar told media.
He said the forest plant species of Kachnar, Cheer, Sheesham, Shahtoot, Sukh Chain, Mor Pankh, Bottle Brush, Popular, Weeping Willos, Feeder-wood would be planted along with fruit plant species of lemon, grapes, mitha, peach, lokat, guava, olives, etc.
Not only the field staff of the Soil Conservation Department but the outreach of the Agriculture Department and the Livestock Centers and Hospitals have also been brought into use for identification of land and farmers where plantation is to be carried out, he added.
Under the initiative, he said farmers and area officers have been made responsible for safety and security of plants.
This has been done to maximize the survival rate of plants and to ensure that plant’s death owing to neglect, could be minimized.
The Directorate, he said was also distributing free-of-cost plants among citizens to promote clean and green environment in Islamabad.
Awareness campaign has also been launched to sensitise citizens regarding impending challenges of climate change and global warming and the importance of increasing forest cover in the country, he said.
The plantation would be done in suburban areas of Bara Kahu, Rawat, Bhembertrar, Tarlai, Golra, Kurii, Jodh, Sohan, Sihala, Pend Bagwal, Chirah, Noon, Tumair, especially on lands where Agriculture Directorate has recently or in the past had carried out agriculture schemes like building check dams, mini dams, spill ways, farm ponds, dug wells, lift irrigation schemes as water availability for long-term survival of plants would be better guaranteed there.
