ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has set a target of planting more than 200,000 trees during this year’s monsoon plantation campaign to expand Islamabad’s green cover and promote environmental sustainability.
The campaign officially began on Tuesday with a tree plantation drive at Shakarparian, where CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf and Member Environment Abdullah Khurram Niazi planted saplings alongside representatives from the business community and civil society.
According to a CDA official, the authority plans to plant around 210,725 trees, distribute 250,000 seed balls, and carry out the sowing of 1.4 million seeds during the campaign.
The plantation drive will include a variety of indigenous and ornamental species, including chir pine, amaltas, willow, kachnar, jacaranda, jamun, apricot, date palm, bougainvillea and several other native trees.
The official said nine partner companies are supporting the campaign under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives by donating 57,250 saplings.
As part of the campaign, the Clean & Green Islamabad Movement also organised a plantation event at Parade Ground, where officials said around 1,000 pine trees were planted.
The CDA said the campaign is aimed at increasing the capital’s green cover and encouraging citizens, businesses and civil society to take part in creating a cleaner and healthier Islamabad under the slogan, “Let’s Plant Today for a Greener Tomorrow.”
The plantation campaign comes a year after the CDA faced criticism over the cutting of trees in parts of Shakarparian. The authority had maintained that only invasive paper mulberry trees were removed and has since intensified efforts to restore and expand the city’s urban forest through large-scale plantation drives.
Also Read: Clean & Green Islamabad Movement, CDA Join Hands to Launch Major Tree Plantation Drive
