KARACHI
To create environmental awareness at primary and secondary levels, the Sindh ministry of environment has decided to set up Nature Clubs in schools across the province, Sindh Environment Minister Khalid Omer said while addressing a gathering on the occasion of the tree-plantation campaign organized by the World Wildlife Fund – Pakistan and the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) under the ‘Green Learn-n-Fun Programme’ in collaboration with the City District Government Karachi at the Government Rashid Minhas School in Nazimabad area on Monday.
In the first phase of the plan, the ministry with the help of, WWF-Pakistan, SSGC and other orgnizations will plant 1,50,000 trees across the province with the students. “Teachers, schoolchildren, parents, civil society and the government will join hands to fight pollution effectively and clean our environment from all sorts of hazards,” he said, adding that role of school teachers and children in improving the deteriorating environmental condition could not be underestimated.
“God created this world as a balanced system so that mankind can co-exist with nature. But over-exploitation and misuse of natural resources has disturbed the balance and has resulted in ‘climate change’ or ‘global warming’,” he said. He remarked that although mankind has developed in different spheres, the environment had suffered greatly. “Polices and plans for social and economic uplift should not be pursued in violation of environmental laws,” he said.
“Pakistanis need to realize the importance of trees and plants,” Sindh MPA, Rehan Zafar said. Excessive and unchecked tree cutting had caused carbondioxide levels to rise, Syed Ali Hasnain of WWF- Pakistan added.
Salman Siddiqui of SSGC said tree plantation campaigns have been launched by different government departments, schools, NGOs and other civil society organizations but only a few had made the effort to protect the trees planted during such campaigns.
He observed that ignorance in the society was the cause of indifference towards the environmental hazards. Javed Mustafa Khan, Assistant District Officer Education remarked that education could play an important role in raising awareness about the environmental issues.
WWF – Pakistan’s policy manager Khadija Zaheer, WWF- P communication officer Saleem Shaikh, CDGK environmental education organiser Nuzhat Siddiqui, Town Administrator Liaquiatabad Khalid Riaz Siddiqui and Director Education Syed Khurram Arif also spoke on this occasion.
