Green Day

The prime minister has announced to observe February 9 as National Green Day every year. The decision was taken by the PM while planting tree in the PM office on the same date this year. The five chief ministers and the AJK prime minister also followed in planting trees in their respective capitals. The PM also announced that 100 million trees would be planted during the plantation campaign on the day making Pakistan green. It was for the first time in the history of the country that all provinces launched a planting drive on the same day and planted in record number on one day.

The National Forest Policy has been approved by the Council of Common Interest. The Green Pakistan Programme had been launched simultaneously in all provinces and federating units. The KP government started the Billion Tree Tsunami Project in 2014 and has succeeded in planting 600 million saplings within a short span of three years. At present, there is only 5 percent forest cover in the country which is rather limited to combat the adverse effects of climate change. Pakistan is ranked 7th among those countries that are mostly affected by climate change. The country has faced disasters like floods, droughts, sea intrusions and glaciers melting. In this context, there is a dire need to take corrective measures to address the situation. Also, there is a need to implement and prepare projects while considering international standards.

Khan Faraz

Peshawar