Villagers turn barren land into forest in Chitral village

CHITRAL: The people of Dizg village of Upper Chitral converted a large tract of arid land into a rambling forest where community members worked relentlessly to make the plantation drive a success.

The huge area of more than 30 acres of totally parched and dry plain between the village and the Yarkhun River was unutilised for want of irrigation water till three years ago when it came to be irrigated by solar powered system lifting the water from the river.

Shafiuddin, Amir Nasir, Sher Faraz and others told reporters here that three years ago, the villagers resolved to launch the block forestation but the major hurdles were the availability of irrigation water and supply of saplings for plantation.

They said that Aga Khan Rural Support Programme included the plantation projects in its Central Asian Poverty Programme and provided the irrigation water as well as saplings

of willow, the local species plant with highest survival rate.

They said that the villagers made desperate efforts to save each and every plant by working day in, day thereby making the arid and dry land into a green patch consisting of willow plants and fodder crop during the very first two years.