Pakistan to celebrate ‘Green Day’ on Sept 2 with tree plantation

ISLAMABAD: Advisor to Prime Minister Malik Amin Aslam has announced that 1.5 million tree plantation has been planned for the Green Day, to be celebrated on September 2 in the country.

Saplings will be planted and distributed all over the country on September 2, he added.

The purpose of the campaign is to encourage people, communities, organizations, business and industry, civil society and government to collectively plant trees, he said chairing a provincial meeting held here at the Ministry of Climate Change.

The day would also create awareness about benefits of forests and increasing greenery in big cities of the country, he added.

Amin Aslam said the main focus of the campaign was to plant tree massively on September 2, subject to approval of the prime minister. Earlier the Cabinet meeting had decided to launch a massive tree plantation campaign.

He said the Billion Tree Tsunami was a successful story, which was recognized both at the national and international levels and that programme had to be spread across the country.

He said that the Green Pakistan programme would be integrated into the10 Billion Tree Tsunami and emphasized that monitoring of plants was very important after their plantation.

Amin Aslam said the chief ministers of all the provinces would be asked to inaugurate mass afforestation on September 2, in their respective provinces too.

He instructed all the institutions involved in that important task, including National Highways Authority, to plant trees along motorways and highways.

He said a media campaign would be launched to create public awareness on the importance of trees. He also instructed the provinces to provide their targets of massive aforestation for September 2.