Barren Chandan Garhi turns green

Billion Tree Afforestation Project

PESHAWAR: It was heartbreaking to see young saplings burnt at the plantation site on the semi-arid, rugged landscape of Chandan Garhi some 17 kilometers south of here.

However, it was encouraging at the same time that the Forest Department officials were committed against all odds to not only replace the damaged plants but also complete the target of planting 2.5 million trees at this site by April 2017. 

During a visit to Chandan Garhi, one saw that the nearly one million plants planted so far have almost changed the shape of the plateau-like wide dry land. This would be the largest man-made forest of the Billion Tree Afforestation Project (BTAP) started by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2014.

The young saplings planted in lines give a pleasant look on this driest terrain. Plantation already has been made on 2,000 acres of the rough and tough land while the remaining 5,000 acres would be covered by green plants by the end of the project. Out of the Rs50 million allocated for the work done so far, Rs28 million have been spent.

The top officials of Forest Department arranged a visit to Chandan Garhi plantation site. Special secretary forest, Ziaul Haq, additional secretary Zariful Maani, chief conservator forest Sadiq Khattak, conservator south circle Shafqat Muneer were among the visiting officials.

The forest is being grown with the support of the local community that has provided the land to the department. The local people are also hired for planting the trees, watering them and serving as guards.

“It won’t be wrong to say that the project has created job opportunities for the local population, which would also be the owner of the forest once the afforestation is completed,” said Zariful Maani.

Growing forest on a land that receives minimum rainfall and has no alternative arrangement of water isn’t an easy job. The department by working hard has made it possible by bringing water in tankers from at least 10 kilometers away. 

“The saplings are watered at least once a month, which is not enough on this water thirsty land,” said Shafqat Muneer.

It is due to the scarcity of water in the area and the limited resources that plants of eucalyptus (Laachi), Kikar, Palosa and Dodonia have been planted mostly on the site. These plants could make good growth even if provided minimum water. However, Sheesham, Pine and other trees have also been planted in the vast area. 

The eucalyptus trees grow fast and have made the area green. These trees have already been grown on the hills and plains of nearby Janakwar locality of FR Peshawar several years ago. This converted the dry space into lush green forest. Besides its fast growth, the usefulness of its logs is a source of attraction for the local people. Also, it can make easy re-growth after being cut.

The Forest Department has specified two water tankers for the site out of the total 27 it has for the whole province. Water is brought in containers. The local daily wagers collect water in small containers to give to each and every plant. 

The long spell of drought is a major challenge faced by the caretakers of the plantation site. Temporary arrangements have been made in small terrains of the site to store the rainwater for later use. Due to lack of rains for several months, neither any water could be stored nor natural water provided to the plants. 

“We should arrange a Nimaz-e-Istisqa – special prayers for rain – on the site,” Ziaul Haq suggested to his fellow officers.

Apart from water scarcity, burning of the saplings by sabotage elements and grazing were some other key challenges that the Forest Department is facing.

Sadiq Khattak said the signs of burning of a good number of saplings were visible on the site.

Some 18 forest guards have been hired on daily wage basis to safeguard the plants, he added.

Climate change is one of the major global challenges these days. Growing more and more trees and forests is the easiest way to counter this challenge. This was the reason that the KP government launched its Billion Tree Afforestation Project, which was initially given the name of Billion Tree Tsunami.

According to project director BTAP Shabbir Hussain, some 400 million trees have so far been planted across the province under the project. He said 170 million plants have been planted while 270 million have made natural re-growth. “An amount of Rs22 billion has been earmarked for the project of which Rs4.9 billion have been spent so far. Apart from the natural forests, we have some 600 plantation sites in the province of which Chandan Garhi is the biggest one,” he explained. 

Shabbir Hussain was optimistic that they would complete plantation of one billion trees in the province by December 2017.