ISLAMABAD - The Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad is finalizing a proposal to seek permission of the Environmental Protection Agency to chop off over 15,000 paper mulberry trees known for proliferating pollen across the federal capital.
According to MCI Environment Wing, in the backdrop of growing number of respiratory allergy patients in the capital, the corporation will submit a petition to Environmental Protection Agency for getting a nod of the agency for pursuing the plan.
A senior official at the environment formation said that after submission of the petition, the EPA will call key stakeholders to conduct a public hearing on the matter for taking a final decision in this regard.
The process of making the city pollen-free will be taking two months, he added. The operation would be carried out in collaboration with Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Capital Territory administration, the official said.
He said that the MCI teams were visiting different sectors, especially the H series sectors, and identifying the area where such harmful species of trees are present, adding that new saplings would be planted in place of removed trees under Clean and Green Pakistan initiative.
Moreover, he said that a number of pollen allergy relief camps had been established by the MCI and the Islamabad Capital Territory administration to provide free and instant treatment to the patients.
