Mountain Day: Conserve forests to prevent natural calamities
CHITRAL Dec, 11: District Youth Forum in collaboration with Relief International organized a function with Mehtar-e-Chitral Fatehul Mulk Ali Nasir in the chair to celebrate the international mountain day.
The ceremony was attended by different stakeholders including representatives of district administration.
Speakers on the occasion said that mountains and forest are our life and we should protect them not only for ourselves but for young generation. The speakers while demonstrating videos item regarding brutal cutting of forest said that forests are our friend and protect us from natural calamity and soil erosion.
They said that timber was being smuggled out to Dubai. Experts said that forests are decreasing 0.22 percent per year but not growing with the same ratio. They said that due to cutting of forest and grazing of goats, mountains are becoming barren causing for natural calamity in shape of tremendous flood and soil erosion.
They said that global warming is an international issue and forest can play vital role in this regard but unfortunately the relevant quarters have no plans to conserve the forest. The speakers stressed upon the teachers, students, civil societies representatives, line department and every citizen of Pakistan to play their role for protecting our environment by conservation of forest, mountain, natural resources etc.
Dr. Riaz Rehman, program manager of Relief International, stressed on the participants to perform their moral obligation in preventing mountains from getting barren and conservation of forest, river belt and natural resources.
Local poets also presented poems regarding protection of mountains and conservation of forest and natural resources from damaging.
Those who spoke on the occasion were Afzalullah Afzal, Mehtar Fatihul Mulk Ali Nasir, Manzor Ahmed President District Youth Forum, Rahmat Ali Jaffar Dost, Riazur Rehman, Shah Fahad Ali Khan Chairman Zoology Department Shaheed Benzir Bhutto University, Iqbaluddin Sahar, Sajjad Ahmed of AKRSP and Minhasuddin Human Resource Development Officer.–APP