The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) is working to plant over 25 million trees during this year to boost Lahore’s low tree cover to 7 per cent.
PHA Director General Muhammad Tahir Wattoo told the media on Sunday that Lahore has a green cover of less than 1pc today, in stark contrast to New Delhi’s 23.6pc and Beijing’s 44.9pc, mainly due to rapid urbanisation. In response to critical deforestation levels, the PHA held several rounds of discussions with stakeholders to identify suitable empty areas around the city for tree planting.
Subsequently, the department, responsible for maintaining Lahore’s green spaces, launched an ambitious plantation drive targeting 25 million sapling “a substantial increase from the 1.5 million planted in less green neighborhoods last year. “Planting millions of trees across the city is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, address the climate crisis, and control the rising summer temperatures,” Muhammad Tahir Wattoo said.
The PHA has also partnered with private businesses and philanthropic organisations to support the initiative, he added. This monsoon season, the PHA plans to plant over half a million trees in areas including Jallo More, China Scheme, Shahdara, and Ring Road, he informed.
He recalled that the department is also overseeing more than 50 Miyawaki urban forests across the city, which it began planting in 2021 as part of its effort to green Lahore. Developed by a Japanese botanist, Miyawaki forests grow 10 times faster, are 30 times denser, and feature 100 times more biodiversity than traditional forests.