Deforestation in Azad Kashmir posing environmental risks
According to experts, the volume of trees in Azad Kashmir's forests has declined from 40% to 11%, which has worried many environmentalists. Photo: Dunya News
(Dunya News) – Azad Kashmir is one of the most beautiful places in the world with its scenic beauty owing to its lush green forests. However, with time, these dense forests are slowly disappearing and in turn adversely affecting the environment.
With the International Day of Forests being celebrated on March 21 with the aim of protecting forests and sustain the number of trees in the forests while generating mass awareness, the issue of deforestation in Kashmir too needs to be focused.
Tree plays a vital role in protecting the environment. Kashmir’s beauty and environment is being affected by the negligence of the government where locals are cutting trees faster than before. The administration has also turned a blind eye towards the increasing deforestation.
Declining number of trees are worrying many environmentalists over its adverse effects in the Azad Kashmir’s region. Photo: Screengrab
According to experts, the volume of trees in Azad Kashmir’s forests has declined from 40% to 11% over the past half century, which has worried many environmentalists over the adverse effects deforestation could bring in the region.
Speaking to Dunya News, DG Environment Mohammad Razzaq said that instead of a natural increase in the number of trees in the forest, there has been a steady decline. This, he fears, will bring multiple adverse effects in the environment.
Doctor Rakshanda, an environmentalist, states that they will not let deforestation occur in this region. “Residents of Neelum and other areas should be made aware of this issue and they should also have alternatives to using trees.”
Many experts point out that as long as residents of the mountainous region are not empowered with employment opportunities and are provided with alternatives to tree logs for combustion, little can change in terms of the rapid deforestation in the area.
For more on this, watch a report by Dunya News below.
