CHEPS Chairman Rehmat Ali Jaffar Dost on the occasion said the government should prioritize caring and preserving trees that already exist instead of planting more saplings as it takes ages for the trees to grow. He said deforestation is a disaster and it must be taken very seriously. He said around thousand tons of Sha Balut wood is cut and used on a daily basis to meet the daily fuel use in Chitral. He gave an alternative to the deforestation by suggesting that electricity from the newly inaugurated powerhouse of 108 megawatts in Golen Gol should be given free of cost to the people of Chitral. This would really reduce cutting of trees and forest for firewood and help in the preservation of habitat of wildlife and in maintaining a healthy environment. The deforestation and environmental hazards have caused in migration of wildlife that needs to return to Chitral. The government should really take this point seriously if we want to preserve the nature and environment of Chitral. –Abdul Wahid Khan]]>