Rs 3 bn mega carbon sequestration project in Peshawar

Peshawar: NWFP government with the financial assistance of federal government had launched a six-year Rs 3.03 billion mega carbon sequestration project in the province. For the current financial year, it had sanctioned an amount of Rs 191.00 million for the project.

This was stated by NWFP Minister for Forests and Environment, Wajid Ali Khan while planting a tree in connection with the Spring Plantation campaign here at Peshawar Press Club on Friday. Beside, the carbon sequestration project, an amount of Rs 113.209 million had been sanctioned for another federal government assisted project of WaterShed Management Project for the current year.

Under the project, he said the provincial government would carry plantation on a huge area of 5500 acres. He disclosed that under the project 7.750 million plants would be planted in the spring plantation campaign in the province. In the forest sector, the provincial government had included 42 projects for the preservation and development of the forests in its annual development programme.

The projects were included 22 ongoing and 20 new. The government, he said had sanctioned Rs 194.293 million for the completion of the 42 projects. The forests sector projects for the current year included growing of nurseries on an area of 150 acres, plantation on 35000 acres land and sowing of seeds on 5000 acres land.

The department will also plant trees on the sides of 1500 kilometres of roads and canals. The department will also distribute 10 million plants in the province. During the year, the government had also planned to achieve the targets of the delimitation of the forests on 0.1 million acres and 500,000 squares feet soil protection.

NWFP is head in forest-covered areas in Pakistan than other three provinces. Trees and forests, he said is national treasure playing important role in the strengthening of the national economy even in the present modern era and maintaining better environment.

During the monsoon tree plantation campaign of the current financial year a total of 9.154 million plants have already been planted in the province with the cooperation of different public and private sectors institute and general public. The government for the current year had planned plantation of 25 million plants through forests and other departments. The plants would be supplied on cheap prices to the people at all levels in the province.

Through rural development committees, the department will plant 0.277 million trees, 0.770 million with the cooperation of armed forces of Pakistan, 0.502 million through educational institutions and 2.090 million through farmers and general public. The non-governmental organisations and others will plant 1.289 trees and 20.822 million plants through the employees of the department of forests in the province.

The spring plantation campaign for the current financial year had been started in February, which urging us for the fulfilling this national and religious responsibilities. He urged on the people in general and farmers, governmental and semi-governmental institutions and education institutions for playing important role in bringing green revolution in the country.

'The objective will not be achieved through mere plantations, but their proper look after and protection are also included in our responsibilities for converting the provincial into a paradise,' concluded Khan. Later, the provincial Minister for Forests, Wajid Ali Khan plants a tree in the lawn of the press club in the connection with plantation campaign.