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| Press Release |
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Monsoon Plantation Drive Kicked off at Mazar-e-Quaid
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Karachi, A citywide tree plantation campaign planned in connection with present monsoon season was formally launched here within the premises of Mazar-e-Quaid the other day.
The National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) in connection with office of Commissioner Karachi and other concerned agencies planned the plantation drive under its Sarsbz-o-Pursukoon (green and peaceful) Karachi initiative. Last time under the same initiative of NFEH, some 300,000 plant and tree saplings were planted in different parts of Karachi from September 2014 to April 2015. This time too, plantation drive would see some 200,000 plant and tree saplings being sown during first phase of campaign that could last for around three months. Different commercial, corporate, industrial establishments, educational institutions, and municipal agencies would take part in the plantation initiative.
The ceremony to formally kick off tree plantation drive at Mazar-e-Quaid was attended by a large number of concerned stakeholders where DIG of District South Police in Karachi Dr Jamil Ahmed was the chief guest.
Speaking on the occasion, the DIG South police termed the plantation campaign a praiseworthy initiative of NFEH to reverse rampant phenomena of environmental degradation.
He said the police stations, police residential lines, pickets, and other police establishments in District South of Karachi under his command would fully take part in the present or any future plantation drive in the city.
Also speaking, NFEH President Muhammad Naeem Qureshi said that plants and trees should have been covering some 25 per cent part of the city but plantation had lamentably decreased to mere seven per cent in Karachi. He said that lack of proper civic planning, haphazard industrialization, unchecked construction of high-rise buildings, smoke-emitting vehicles plying on roads, were some of the factors responsible for dwindling number of trees and plants while environmental pollution had always been on the rise.He said the large number of human causalities in Karachi during recent heatwave had also given credence to the notion that Karachi had been fast losing its ecological balance owing to ill-planned development projects.
He said the concerned organizations and establishments could befittingly pay tribute to the homeland on the coming Independence Day on 14th August, 2015 by taking part in plantation on active basis for cause of environment. He thanked the Sindh government’s Forest Department, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, and district municipal corporations in the city for their cooperation in the plantation drive.
Also present were Ruqiya Naeem, Nadeem Ashraf, Abdullah Feroz, Tofiq Pasha, Veqar Islam & representatives of Mera Karachi Group, director Parks DMC (East) in Karachi Raza Mohammad, and members of Christian and Bohra communities. NFEH appealed to all citizens to plant trees at their home, streets, parks, schools, industries .
Mustafa Tahir
Media coordinator
NFEH
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