I have been doing tree planting as a duty for the last two decades. In these 20 years, I tried to plant more than 200 trees, but out of these 200 trees, I could save less than 20 trees. But whenever I go near these trees, believe me, I feel that these trees are talking to me like my friends. This is not scriptural but I will be supported by all those who have gardening as their hobby.My passion for planting trees started about 20 years ago when I was busy building my own house. A tree at some distance from my plot sheltered me in the hot May sun when the temperature became too much for me and it was no less than a blessing for me at that time.
Whenever the summer season reaches its peak, Karachi, Multan, Nawabshah, Sabi… are in the news due to the temperature. But it is possible that once as a nation we have made serious efforts regarding these problems. We want the solution of most of our problems only from the government, while as a nation if we make some serious efforts to make our streets clean and green, we can give a better Pakistan to our future generations. US Space Agency According to the latest NASA report, since 1880 till today, the temperature of the planet has been continuously increasing and every year has broken the records of the previous year, the results of which we are killing wildlife and basic resources (food, water). In the event of a shortage, we are keenly watching in the coming days.
To me, trees are symbols of life and important national wealth, and their growth and maintenance reflects man’s closeness to nature. But it has come to be seen that as a nation we are corrupting this national wealth by not planting trees and not protecting the planted trees. According to a World Bank report, Pakistan is at number 113 in the list of 143 countries in terms of forest area. In Pakistan, forests are present on about 5% of the area, while if we look at Finland, Japan and America, this number is about 73%, 63% and 34% respectively, while the same number is in other countries of this region, namely Bhutan, Indonesia. , India, China and Bangladesh have forests covering 71%, 50%, 24%, 23% and 14% respectively.
Forests in our country already exist in a very small area and to top it off, the brutality with which the timber and land mafia have damaged our forests is unparalleled anywhere in the world. The manner in which agricultural lands have been destroyed in the name of housing societies is a whole separate subject. In my opinion, the time has come that the creation of new housing societies in cities should be banned and the persons or organizations who have taken land in the name of housing societies should be given three years more time to either resettle the people. Or their land allotment should be cancelled. Further, these housing societies should be mandated to arrange for the renovation of the park at the designated location.
Unfortunately, the construction of housing societies in our country has been turned into a business that has now turned into a mafia. In our country, there is a need for such a law and code of conduct under which it is impossible to convert the green lands into housing society and if there is a lot of compulsion, then the society administration should be obliged to create an urban forest equal to the area of the society. ) also apply.We are an agricultural country, but unfortunately only on paper. For the past several years, we have been importing wheat, sugar and cotton, due to which our import bill is constantly increasing.Another sad fact is that Pakistan and particularly Karachi is continuously getting hotter, one of the main reasons being the lack of forests and not planting more new trees. All these things which are part of this writing may be known to all of us but individual and collective irresponsibility has made us numb.
If we want to save our future generations from warming and climate change, we need to go beyond talk shows and conferences and make planting a part of our lives. Moreover, we have to adopt the culture of small dams as much as possible keeping in view our water requirements so that we can save our country from becoming a desert.
It would not be wrong to say that trees are lungs of the earth, because the role of lungs in our body is exactly the same role of trees on our earth. By not planting trees, we are all committing a crime and creating an environmentally hostile country for future generations. May Allah grant us wisdom, Amen.Regarding planting trees, it is narrated from Anas that Prophet Muhammad said:”When a Muslim plants a tree or cultivates a crop and a bird or a human being or an animal eats it, there is a reward for him (the farmer) equivalent to giving charity.” (Sahih Bukhari Hadith no. 1071)
We have to decide today whether we want to give our future generations an environment friendly country or an environment hostile country. This battle is mine and yours and we have to fight it ourselves. It would be naïve of us to expect government agencies to do something, because it may not be among their priorities at the moment.Today, there is a realization throughout the world that while this rapid development has improved our lives, the poison of pollution is slowly engulfing the planet and poses the greatest threat to human life. . Trees and plants are an integral part of human life. Let’s all move on. Plant at least one plant, just one plant with your help, around your homes or near roadsides and improve the future of generations to come.The goal of planting one billion trees is certainly the goal of our current government, but it can be achieved only by planting one tree.
