The Forest Department of South Punjab has formally started the spring plantation campaign. The target of planting 83 lakh 30 thousand saplings has been set for this campaign. The Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab Capt. (Retd) Saqib Zafar has inaugurated the plantation campaign of the Department of Forests by planting a mango sapling in Kotla Sadat area of Muzaffargarh. Secretary Forests, Wildlife and Fisheries Sarfaraz Khan Magsi and Deputy Commissioner Muzaffargarh Agha Zaheer Abbas Shirazi, Chief Conservator Forest South Punjab Javed Gill, and other officers of the Forest Department were also present on this occasion.
Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab, Capt.(Retd) Saqib Zafar, while addressing the inagural ceremony, said that due to the global warming caused by deforestation, the entire mankind was facing serious threats and Pakistan was under the adverse effects of climate change. He said that according to the global standard, 25 percent of the area of any country should be covered by forests, but contrarily only 5 percent of the area of Pakistan is covered by forests, while in our neighborhood, 60 percent of the area in Bhutan and 33 percent of the area in India are covered by forests. Capt. (Retd)Saqib Zafar said forests have a central position in the fight against climate change and for the survival of our future generation, it is necessary to plant forests in the maximum area.
He directed all the administrative departments of South Punjab to actively participated in the plantation campaign to make it a success. He also commended the efforts of the Forestry Department regarding the plantation campaign. The Secretary of Forest South Punjab Sarfraz Khan Magsi, while addressing the ceremony, said a target of planting 83 lakh 30 thousand saplings has been set for the spring plantation campaign, of which 22 lakh 50 thousand saplings have been planted.
He said that in the last three years, 8 crores and 45 lakh saplings have been planted in South Punjab. Sarfaraz Khan Magsi further said that the Forest Department will also plant mango trees on 10 acres of land in Kotla Sadaat. On this occasion, Forest Secretary Sarfraz Khan Magsi and Deputy Commissioner Muzaffargarh Agha Zaheer Abbas Shirazi also participated in the plantation campaign by planting saplings.
