Imran urges nation to ‘reverse the smog’ with plantation drive

LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday launched a countrywide spring tree plantation drive and urged the whole nation to join it for their children’s future as he warned only through trees can smog be reversed.

“The whole nation should take part in it because this is a question of our children’s future. All including school children, university and college students should be made part of it. Allocate them specific areas for protection of plants,” the Prime Minister said while addressing the launching ceremony of spring tree plantation at the Miyawaki Urban Forest at Jillani Park here.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Punjab minister Mahmood Rasheed, and Chief Minister’s aide Firdous Awan attended the event. The Prime Minister unveiled a plaque and planted a sapling to launch the plantation as part of the government’s efforts to accomplish 10-billion-tree target during the five-year term.

The Jillani Park’s Miyawaki forest is one of the 51 sites being developed in Lahore to revive the city’s green cover and address issues of pollution particularly smog.

Pioneered by a Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, Miyawaki is a unique technique that helps build native forests 10 times faster and 30 times denser. Under the approach, dozens of native species are planted in the same area, close to each other, which ensures that the plants receive sunlight only from the top, and grow upwards then sideways as they compete with each other for resources.

The Prime Minister said the children’s participation in 10 Billion Tree was essential because all was being done to protect their future. He said in parliamentary democracies, “the governments unfortunately had been thinking of their election victory and executed short-term projects to inaugurate and win votes”.

He said long term planning was inevitable for any country’s development and exemplified China which had started massive plantation in the country and also introduced green cities to suppress the pollution caused by massive development.

The Prime Minister said Lahore’s green cover had vanished by 70 per cent during last 12-13 years. Resultantly, the skyline of the city was engulfed by smog, even in February, which otherwise used to be the best month there.

“But now the sun is not visible due to smog, not fog. Smog reduces 6-11 years average life of an individual particularly the children and elders. This is a silent killer as the chemical travels to the lungs,” he said.