Deforestation in Chitral alarming, says environment activist

While addressing students, CHEPS (Chitral Environment and Heritage Protection Society) chief Rehmat Ali Jaffar said students can be an agent of change after their teachers. He said Chitral and its environment was very much conducive in terms of its balanced forests. The  data dating back to 1930, he added, showed that Chitral had a 35% forest cover which was greater than the international criterion of 24 percent. The IUCN report 2001, however, showed the pathetic forest cover of just four percent and the alarming deforestation in Chitral, said Mr Jaffar. The adverse impact of deforestation and the role of timber mafia has disturbed the balanced environment of Chitral. God Almighty has endowed every region or country with natural resources in the shape of oceans and lands and we similarly had been gifted with forest but we left no stone unturned for its destruction wittingly and unwittingly. These forests were the shelter of different birds and wild animals like markhor, snow leopard and batachol now they are getting extinct in Chitral, he regretetd. We have started a campaign this year called “Friends of the Earth” and mandated every person in Chitral to plant a sapling. Our traditions also manifest this historical heritage of plantation naming trees with the family members on the basis of its planting. From a fruit producing tree, people get fruits is like a continuous charity for indefinite period he said. Mr Jaffar said that this year we are also campaigning for the plantation of “Russian olive” (known in local vernacular; shunjoor) which had grand advantages, easy to plant, grow, producing fruits within three years which has sufficient market demand and world best perfume and honey is produced from it. The honey of this tree market demands 3,000 rupees per kg.  He further said that our climatic conditions are suitable for the trees, should be planted so that we could be able to get sufficient forest and benefits from them. While concluding his address he prayed terming the students as the ambassador of Chitral will shoulder him in this noble cause and ended the address with the slogan “Pakistan Zindabad”.–Alhaj Muhammad Khan]]>