More than 27m trees planted under Green Pakistan Programme

ISLAMABAD: More than 27 million indigenous trees have been planted throughout the country so far as a part of Green Pakistan Programme. An official of Ministry of Climate Change told APP here on Thursday that under the five-year ambitious Green Pakistan Programme, 100 million trees would be planted till 2021 at a cost of Rs 10 billion.

The total cost of the programme was estimated at Rs 3.652 billion for the period 2016-2021. Fifty per cent of the cost will be met by provincial governments, Gilgit-Baltistan, AJK and Fata regions while the remainder will be extended on a yearly basis by the federal government. The officials further said that every effort should be made to make Pakistan green, for which the ministry would provide support.  The campaign has gained importance due to Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change and related disasters.  The country’s natural forests are under persistent threat of depletion due to erratic climatic and heavy demand of wood.–APP

Arid varsity syndicate approves establishment of green office

RAWALPINDI: The Syndicate of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) in its 80th meeting on Thursday approved the University’s Green Office at the main campus which will be established under the auspices of Directorate of Planning and Development (P&D) to boost up the sustainability practices and use of natural resources in a positive manner.

The office will be responsible to implement the university’s environmental policies in different areas such as waste management, green transportation, energy efficiency, green architecture, using clean technologies, institutionalization of environmental ethics or advice the student groups and staff who want to act on sustainability.

The Vice Chancellor of PMAS-AAUR, Prof Dr Sarwat N Mirza said that this initiative will be helpful to promote best environmental practices at the University and engage everyone in taking steps towards a more sustainable future.

He was of the view that the office would help the university to achieve not only its strategic plant, but also its climate action plan goals and hoped that through this office the university would promote campus policies that can support sustainability and save money and critical natural resources such as water, energy etc.

The Director P&D, Shahid Ali Khan told that the office of PMAS-AAUR is the platform for students and employees of the university where sustainable ideas are shaped, plans are put together and projects are launched, all with the objective to make the university more sustainable. This office will also raise awareness among the students and staff about the sustainable achievements and ambitions of the PMAS-AAUR, he added.–APP