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Pakistan launches campaign for environmental protection
Last Updated: 2019-11-26 14:29 | Gwadar Pro
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by Fatima Javed

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 26 (Gwadar Pro) – Government remains fully focused on its commitment to improve the deteriorating environmental condition across the country, said Prime Minister Imran Khan at the launch of Clean Green Pakistan Index (CGPI) in Islamabad.

In the initial phase of the CGPI, 19 cities, including Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Okara and Bahawalpur, have been selected to compete on certain issues of public interest.

The selected cities will be judged on addressing issues such as safe drinking water, solid waste management, liquid waste management, city beautification, cleanliness of streets, the usability of parks, tree plantation, total sanitation/hygiene and community participation.

Earlier the present government has introduced multiple campaigns and drives to combat climate change, including the Billion Tree Tsunami and 10 billion trees’ plantation.

The Billion Tree Tsunami was launched in 2014, by the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as a response to the challenge of global warming. Pakistan's Billion Tree Tsunami restores 350,000 hectares of forests and degraded land to surpass its Bonn Challenge commitment.

It was a project driven by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s vision of green growth which ties in the needs for sustainable forestry development, generating green jobs, gender empowerment, preserving Pakistan’s natural capital while also addressing the global issue of climate change.

The project aimed at improving the ecosystems of classified forests, as well as privately owned waste and farm lands, and therefore entails working in close collaboration with concerned communities and stakeholders to ensure their meaningful participation through effectuating project promotion and extension services. The project was completed in August 2017, ahead of schedule.

Later on 3rd September 2018, after becoming Prime Minister, Imran Khan launched a 5-year, country-wide 10 billion tree plantation drive from Makhniyal, KPK to combat the effects of global warming. 

Pakistan is committed to combat climate change by introducing several measures, including planting 10 billion trees in 5 years, ban on single-use plastic bags, policy on electric vehicles, green buildings, proper waste management and clean drinking water.

Single-use carrier plastic bags have also been completely banned in Islamabad since August 14, making production, sale and distribution of plastic bags illegal.

Diplomats and embassy staff also came together for a clean up and recycling drive under the “Diplo Green” initiative to support Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “Clean, Green Pakistan” campaign and the recent plastic bag ban in Islamabad.

Pakistan uses 55 billion plastic bags every year that has been termed detrimental in the absence of proper waste management and recycling process. Along with the ban, the government has also launched campaigns to raise awareness about the environmental hazards of plastic bags that block drainage systems, pollute water streams and canals, kill wildlife and cause other environmental and health problems.

Pakistan has less forest cover, only 5 percent, due to arid and semi-arid climatic conditions in most parts of the country. But despite poor forest cover, Pakistan is still highly rich in both ecosystem and species biodiversity where such ecosystems are still intact.

Due to great variation in physiographic and climatic conditions, Pakistan is home to nine distinct eco-regions: Mangrove, Tropical Thorn, Sub-tropical Evergreen Broadleaved, Tropical Chir, Moist Temperate, Dry Temperate, Sub-alpine, Alpine, and permanent snow fields. The diversity of wildlife ranges from the Blind Indus Dolphin in the South, to the Snow leopard in the rugged mountains in the North.

However, unsustainable forest management practices and a high dependency of local communities on forests for meeting a wide variety of needs - including timber, firewood, fodder for livestock, agricultural land, and non-timber forest products including wild fruits and medicinal plants - often results in deforestation and degradation of forest ecosystems.

 

 

 

 

 

(Editor:元小娜)

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Pakistan launches campaign for environmental protection
Source:Gwadar Pro | 2019-11-26 14:29
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