PESHAWAR, Oct 20 (APP):An environment enthusiast from Lakki Marwat, southern district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has made a remarkable achievement of planting 21000 plants in a period of two years to improve green cover in his rainfed native area having all characteristics of a desert due to its sand dunes, scorching heat and dry weather.
“During the last two years, I have planted around 21,000 trees with the objective of improving green cover in my home town,” claims ambitious Munir Khan, resident of Muslim Bagh area near Serai Naurang.
Talking to APP here on Wednesday, Munir Khan who is quite young as is in his early forties, said Lakki Marwat is a dry, sandy area and I wanted to reduce some impact of climate change on our town.
Munir informed that he first took this initiative by his own from union council level and started planting saplings in the area.
With the passage of time, the scope of plantation increased to Tehsil Sehrai Naurang as a number of people and even organizations started extending support to him, he told APP.
Now, Khan continued, he wanted to expand plantation at district level by including areas like Jangkhel, Lakki University site and Pezu.
In the early stage, people used to pass sarcastic remarks over my passion by saying that I have no work to do that is why spending time in plantation.
Some locals suggested me to do some proper work and termed plantation as wastage of time and resources, Munir recalls.
However, such taunts and sardonic smiles did not deter my enthusiasm and I continued to work with full devotion and dedication, Munir continued.
Apart from local people, some NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) have also acknowledged my hard work and are approaching me with offers of providing sampling and support for planting more trees in the area.
Munir gave the title of `Sar Sabz-o-Shadab Lakki Marwat’ (Greener Lakki Marwat) to his plantation drive and has set the goal of planting around 200,000 trees in his area.
I have made a pledge with soil of my native area that I will plant around 200,000 trees here and for this purpose I am working hard, he vowed.
Similarly, Munir said he is also concentrating on environment education, awareness and training to apprise people about importance of increasing green cover the country.
Munir informed that some of the plants, he planted with the assistance of WWF and Forest Department a couple of years earlier has now grown up into trees and also giving fruits besides improving environment of the area.
In reply to a question, he said he plants only those saplings which are suitable for environment of the area, less water intensive and are locally grown easily.
Munir said growing plants especially in semi-arid area of Lakki Marwat is not an easy task and he has to work hard and fully concentrate on his work..
“It requires specially affection, attention and concentration like one needed by our own child,” he remarked.
I have to give time to these saplings, arrange water on suitable time and protect them from pest for seeing them growing and converting into trees.
Munir is also busy in planting of sapling at the site of university of Lakki Marwat and expressed the hope that after construction of varsity students will sit and study under the shadow of these full grown trees planted by him.
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