Saad
THE DEATH OF THE FOREST IS THE END OF OUR LIFE.
Dorothy Stang
A few days back a wildfire erupted in Margalla Hills causing severe damage to the ecosystem and primarily to the wildlife over there. The wildfire left authorities unable to extinguish it or even stop it from spreading further. In this age where climate change is one of the biggest challenges to the whole world and consequences of which are clearly visible and predictable in countries like Pakistan how the state has not yet understood the importance of the forests. According to some global organizations a country must have forests over an area of least 25% to 33% meanwhile in World Banks’ statics Pakistan has only 4.8% of its total area covered with forests till 2020.
Forests not only provide exotic view but also house many living organisms but their most important contribution is to provide a shield against the climate change. They purify the ear we breath in, water we drink and provide a balance in this ecosystem. In nutshell they give us life.
The Margalla Hills fire is not the first fire in the region rather there have seen many major wildfire incidents at the moment the chilgoza forest in Balochistan is one fire which has taken 3 human lives already. Speaking of Margalla Hills fire, in recent years i.e., September 2018, June, 2019, May 2021 and most recently in May 2022, Margalla Hills have been on fire. Wildfire has become way too regular in Margalla Hills. There are many known or suspected causes behind it. According to some resources the Timber Mafia sets a part of Margalla Hills on fire and continues to cut tree in that smoke screen so when the fire is extinguished that crime is also put into the damages caused by the wildfire. But the Islamabad Wildfire Management Board says that almost 90% of these fires are set by local population living near those hills. CDA’ budgets for fiscal year 2022 to 2023 is considered to be Rs 308 billion (Yes 308 billion Pakistani Rupees) with this massive amount of money and machinery in hands they still can not develop enough force to run surveillance for they, every day, hire nearly 400 locals on daily wages to patrol the area. What is the accountability of this strategy? The ones that are not hired area most likely to set the forest on fire says IWMB Chairperson.
The wildfire is killing the lives of many species. The area has many species of animals and plants. There are many plants that take many of decades to get to adult age. Plants like Pinus roxburghii (chir pine), P. wallichiana (blue pine/biar), P. gerardiana (chilghoza pine/pine nut) which take 100 years to grow up fully, but unfortunately many of them will never be able to peak into the horizon and stand with dignity. Birds that spent cold and hot weather collecting straws to make their nest on some tree will have to build new nests if they ever survived. How would little hatchlings fly for their lives? Butterflies that fly around flowers will have to see ashes over many acers. The statistics of lives, other than human, lost cannot be precisely recorded as only coal and ashes are left where once used to be the greenery and life.
State has desperately failed to the importance of the forests. We can’t, at any condition, afford the loss of our forest and wildlife. State should reform its forest laws and properly monitor the forest. If it can run surveillance on its citizens than why can’t it monitor our forests. By burning the forests, we are reducing the span of our life actually. We cannot survive without forests so we need to take care of what is left of them so that we can make this place livable for our coming generations.
The forst fire in Sherani forest, Koh e Suleman, Zhob, Balochistan has destroyed thousands of Olea europaea (olive) and P. gerardiana (pint nut) trees. P. gerardiana, is native to the Himalayas, only in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
The forests of Kahuta, Lehtrar and Kotli Satyan have also caught fire many times in April and May, 2022 and destroyed hundreds of palm, babool and chir pine trees, many birds burnt into ashes.
