Miyawaki forest project launched at Liaquat Bagh

Rawalpindi : The Parks and Horticulture Department (PHA) has successfully launched a project to grow Miyawaki forest at Liaquat Bagh on land measuring 6 kanals along with Murree Road.

According to the details, PHA and Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) have conducted a joint survey and identified thirty locations where the project of Miyawaki forest can be launched in line with the directives of the provincial government.

The draft survey report showed that the identified locations included schools, colleges, government departments and open spaces that could be utilized for this purpose.

It is pertinent to mention here that PHA also planted eight-date palm trees at the same location in Liaquat Bagh some two years ago but only one of them survived against all odds.

The details showed that PHA is launching Miyawaki forest project at three locations in the first phase and it would further increase their number in the next few months.

The removal of tree cover for uplift projects has resulted in air pollution and increase in temperature especially in the summer season. Now the provincial government has directed all relevant government departments to grow Miyawaki forests in the cities to mitigate adverse impacts of growing vehicular traffic.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has already inaugurated Miyawaki forest project in Islamabad and the civic authority is making efforts to launch this project at twenty different locations.

An official said that their target is to achieve maximum survival rate so they have laid down water pipelines to ensure supply of water to the trees.

“We have planted 6,000 trees including various species of fruit trees on six kanal of land and, hopefully, it would turn into a thick forest in the coming years,” he said.

He said “Though it will take this land eight to ten years to become thick forest but the trees will get the height of six to eight feet in just two years.”