‘Kikar trees to be planted on 1,000 acres in DG Khan this monsoon’

ISLAMABAD: The Kikar trees would be planted on 1,000 acres of land in DG Khan during this monsoon season as part of the largest plantation campaign in the history of the country.

An official of the climate change ministry said that planting of Kikar trees on such a big area in the ongoing monsoon season is a daunting task but the ministry and the Punjab government are making joint efforts to achieve this target.

“The saplings are available and different teams have been formed that will plant them in the directions of botanists. It will give a green look to the area that is otherwise

barren and infertile,” he said.

He said that a project is also under way to plant 130 million trees over an area of 99,077 acres of forest land in five districts of South Punjab, adding “The government is also introducing sustainable wood-based industry to protect green cover of this area.”

Out of 20.63m hectares of land, only 3.76pc is covered by forests in the Punjab. South Punjab is in the worst situation, with arid zones, drought and salinity affecting the land there. Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the Punjab government to initiate tree plantation campaigns in the South Punjab as part of the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami project.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has said that the government is trying to create green jobs in South Punjab through tree plantation campaigns. “We are also focusing on South Punjab as this area needs more forest cover to improve its air quality. The lakes, forests and natural parks are being protected under Protected Areas Initiative,” he said.