‘Sindh seeks support of NGOs, industrial, corporate sectors to plant one billion trees’

The Sindh government has sought active support of concerned industrialists, businessmen and non-governmental organisations to promote the concept of urban forestry in Karachi under which extensive tree plantation will be carried out on both sides of Malir and Lyari rivers.

Secretary for Forest and Wildlife Abdul Rahim Soomro said this while speaking at a reception held at the Karachi Gymkhana in recognition of the recipients of the 7th FPCCI Achievement Awards-2019. The CSR Club of Pakistan and National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) jointly organised the programme.

Speaking on the occasion, the secretary said that the industrialists, businessmen, and NGOs had to play an important role as Sindh had to plant one billion trees in the next four years as part of its share in the prime minister’s initiative to plant 10 billion trees in the country.

He said that the government alone could not meet reforestation requirements of the province to safeguard its environment. He said that previously Pakistan was able to fulfil its obligations regarding the international Bonn Challenge against the global phenomenon of deforestation as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the previous five years had carried out the billion tree plantation initiative.

He said that concerned industrialists of the city were under a solemn obligation to actively contribute towards the tree plantation initiatives as the industries run by them accounted for major part of the environmental pollution either in the form of hazardous carbon emissions or through untreated effluents discharged into the sea.

The forest secretary lamented that the project of installation of combined effluent treatment plants for the industries of Karachi had been first conceived in 1985 but since then it could not be implemented.

He said that if one drove towards the main industrial estates of Karachi including the SITE, he or she would find out that these zones within the city were completely deprived of tree cover and this situation had to be reversed with the support of the industrialists.

NFEH President Naeem Qureshi said that platforms of his NGO and that of the CSR Club were fully available to do coordination and seek support of the concerned stakeholders so that Sindh was able to plant one billion trees as part of the Clean and Green Pakistan initiative of the PM. He said that earlier similar coordination and cooperation between NGOs and the provincial government had led to a major tree plantation drive in Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park in Clifton.

He said NGOs and industrialists in the city would wholeheartedly support the Sindh Forest Department’s initiative to plant trees on the banks of the Lyari and Malir rivers as it would massively add towards beautification and revival of the lost glory of Karachi.

Senior Vice President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry Mirza Ikhtiar Baig said that the FPCCI had been doing its initiative of the Achievement Awards every year conferred by the President of Pakistan to recognise the services of people and organisations doing excellent philanthropic and social work in the society.

He said that Indus Hospital, Bin Qutab Foundation, Saylani Welfare Trust, and Prof Dr Atta-ur-Rahman were some of the salient recipients of this year’s FPCCI Achievement Awards whose ceremony was held last month at the Awan-e-Sadr and up to 40 recipients received the awards for their contribution in different sections of the society.

President and Founder of the Pakistan chapter of Make-a-Wish Foundation Mirza Ishtiaq Baig suggested that the government should adopt a piece of legislation, which would make it mandatory that the profit-making commercial entities should allocate two percent of their annual net profits for undertaking their obligations related to the Corporate Social Responsibility.

He said that a similar legislation had already been enacted in India, which had a gone long way in promoting the cause of CSR in the neighbouring country.