BTAP increases forest cover area in KP: minister

PESHAWAR: KP Minister for Forests, Environment and Wildlife, Syed Ishtiaq Urmar Sunday said that Billion Tree Afforestation Project (BITP) besides increasing forest cover area had also opened new avenues of employment for youth in the province.

In a statement issued here, the provincial minister said that the PTI government was specially concentrating on prevention of injurious impacts of the climate change and development of forests that had triggered 6.1% increase in the forest covered area.

Regarding climate change, dirt and injurious impact of environmental pollution, he said that Forests Department was taking practical steps in that regard and a plantation campaign was being carried out in educational institutions, roadsides, hotels, petrol pumps, plazas and barren land.