Army launches mass plantation drive
General Bajwa said 10 million saplings during current monsoon would be planted across the country.
RAWALPINDI (APP) - Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday said that everybody should attach high priority to planting saplings all across the country.
On part of Pakistan Army, he said 10 million saplings during current monsoon would be planted across the country in coordination with civilian organisations at national and provincial levels like enviornment agencies, forest departments and agriculture departments.
He was addressing participants at the inauguration of nationwide tree plantation campaign - Sarsabz-o-Shadab Pakistan (Green and Fresh Pakistan) - at Race Course Park.
He said they had gathered for a national cause as the country was in dire need of having more and more trees to avoid looming dangers of deforestation.
On the occasion, wife of the Army chief, Mrs Qamar Javed Bajwa, as chief patron of the nation-wide tree plantation campaign, said that all the Pakistanis should come forward and play their role to ably take up the challenge of deforestation.
Referring to the alarming stage of deforestation in the country, she said it was time for people to follow the “now or never” approach. Pointing out international data on deforestation, she said Pakistan was among the seven top countries.
“Sincere efforts are the need of the hour,” she said adding, “We want to give our next generations a greener Pakistan and we will leave no stone unturned to achieve the set goals in this direction.”
“We should arrange for planting a sapling at birthdays of every child and the plantation should be done personally by the parents or by the child himself.”
Earlier, a senior officer of 10 Corps gave detailed briefing on the plantation campaign stating that the patches where forestation could be undertaken at mass level would be identified through satellite images. He apprised that they had already started work in the cantonment and garrison areas of the country.
During the current season, he said that 10 million saplings would be planted during the current monsoon and the plantation figures would enhance gradually with the passage of time. Besides the manual plantation, seeds of various species would be sprayed with the helicopters in the rugged terrain, or not reachable areas.
He said that a comprehensive research work had already been carried out to identify the plant species according to the earth specifications and environment of each area in different tropical regions so that specific saplings could be planted in the specific areas best suited to their vegetation, germination and environment.
He apprised that on the day of inauguration, on Monday, two million saplings had been planted.
Earlier, the COAS and Mrs Qamar Javed Bajwa along with a large number of officers and their families besides school children planted saplings in the park.
The journalists, media persons and anchors, who were invited, also planted saplings to become part of the national campaign.
