-Urges nation to join for children’s future
-Says govt to pace efforts on climate risks
-Directs to boost green recovery
From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday launched the countrywide spring tree plantation drive and urged the whole nation to join it for their children’s future.
“The whole nation should take part in it because this is for our children’s future. All including school children, university and college students should be made part of it. Allocate them specific areas for the protection of plants,” the prime minister said addressing the launching ceremony of spring tree plantation at Miyawalki Urban Forest at Jilani Park here.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, Chief Minister of Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar, Punjab Minister Mian Mahmood Rasheed, Special Assistant to CM Dr Firdous Ashiq 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 the target of 10 billion trees during the five-year term. The Jilani Park’s Miyawalki Forest is one of the 51 sites being developed in Lahore to revive the city’s green cover and address the issues of pollution particularly smog. Pioneered by a Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, Miyawalki 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 than sideways. 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 a 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 percent during last 12-13 years. Resultantly, the skyline of the city was engulfed by smoke 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 the 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. He said the world research told that the damages of smog could not be quantified. Imran Khan said having born and bred in Lahore, he had witnessed the evolution of the city from a green to a polluted city because the governments never thought about environmental protection. “Now we are seeing the consequences but we are going to reverse it,” he resolved. Referring to the Singaporean government’s successful river clean-up initiative, the prime minister said everything could be changed but it required hard work.
Calling the development of Miyawaki Urban Forestation a “gigantic first step”, he said it would grow in 10 to 20 years comparing the 50 years required for other forests. The prime minister repeatedly emphasized the federal ministry and KP government to publicize their massive tree plantation projects to make the people know their efforts to enhance green cover and the achievements in this regard.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that the provision of quality and affordable healthcare facilities to masses, especially the downtrodden and social protection, was the foremost priority of the present government.
As the health and education sectors were neglected in the past, the health system became ineffective and badly hurt the poor in particular, he added. The Prime Minister was presiding over a meeting held here to review progress regarding the provision of universal health insurance in Punjab. Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar, Minister for Economic Affairs Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Advisor to PM Shehzad Akbar, Special Assistant to PM Malik Ameen Aslam, Provincial Finance Minister Makhdoom Hasham Jawan Bakht, Special Assistant to CM Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan and senior officers were in attendance.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the health card will not only provide the common man with healthcare protection, from which he remained deprived over the last 70 years, but will also bring about revolutionary and durable change in health system.
