CDGK's Thado Dam project hits snags

*Click the Title above to view complete article on https://www.nation.com.pk/.

2010-06-14T03:40:30+05:00 Syed Intikhab Ali
KARACHI The project of CDGK Forest Department to produce Honey, Silk and a chemical Neel, on the agricultural land of Karachi city has been completely grind to a halt due to a lack of funds and interest in the project of the city government high-ups, The Nation learnt on Sunday. The sources confirmed that due to a lack of funds and lack of interest on the part of city government, the project was in jeopardy. The CDGK had established a thick jungle in the outskirts of Karachi at Thaddo Dam in Gadap Town around four years ago where more than 0.1 million trees were planted over a area of abut 100 acres of land. The CDGK Forest Department conceived that the Karachis Changa Manga (The Thaddo Dams Jungle) not only could be used for as resort but also it could be used for for generating revenue for the city government. Informed sources said that the experiment of Honey production proved successful and the same was for the production of Neel, a blue colour chemical detergent using dye the dresses and giving blue colour to Jeans, other dresses and cloths. This detergent Neel prepared and get to a special kind of tree which was enormously planted in the Jungle. To get the Honey to the Jungle Honey boxes where planned to set up here collect and store the honey, production of Silk ( Resham) through Silkworm (insect of Resham) after trees plantation of Malbari (Shahtoot). The project of establishing the a Bee Colony in the Jungle had been stopped when the CDGK was trapped in the financial crisis and since than the whole project has been at a halt even there is no sign of interest seen to start the project again, source said. If the same project revived again, the CDGK could gain a lot of benefits from the jungle in different manner. The city government could get handsome revenue through the production of Honey, Silk and Neel while the public could be benefited by using the Jungle as a picnic point. When CDGK had established the Jungle at outskirts of Karachi some four years ago with an ami to boost and flourish the jungle and these projects were perceived but later due to a lack of interest on the part of some high ups of the city government, the whole project has been shelves. It is to be noted that the honey of wild (Beri) is unique and precious and the CDGK planted around 6,000 trees in the Gadap Towns Jungle for this purposes, and Honey Bee, its boxes and frames which to be used in the honey production were set up here and the honey production was near to be started but later it was stopped due to a lack of funds, official sources said. The department had arranged the Bees colonies bring here for this purposes. Each colony of Honey Bees has 10 frames and each frame was consist of 40,000 Honey Bees, who produce 10 to 15 Kg honey just in one month time from each Bee hive, an officer of the department said. Besides, to produce Silk (Resham) from the Jungle trees of Malbari (Shahtooth) had been planted in the Forest, from where the Silkworm produce Silk, in the near future, if the project revived, he maintained. The sources also confirmed that a wild bush tree which Biological name is Indigofera Tinctoria, found across the river Indus some 200 years ago but later extinct or disappeared due to cultivation of other crops. These wild bushes are the main source of production of Neel, which is used for dying cloths besides use for colouring Blue to the cloths and vehicles and other things.
View More News