Badghis officials urge people to protect newly planted seedlings

QALA-I-NAW (Pajhwok): Thousands of tree saplings are grown annually in western Badghis province for greenery, but some of them are cut down or dried up for being not irrigated, officials said on Sunday.

The officials urge local residents to help protect trees that are newly planted.

Mohammad TahirGhafoori, acting director of Qala-i-Naw municipality, told Pajhwok Afghan News his department used to plant trees every year around Qala-i-Naw city and in its districts.

Ghafoori said municipality personnel grew about 3,500 trees last year around the city, but a thousand of them did not grow at all.

He said 2,500 saplings remained while the rest were cut or dried up.

“The reason for cutting these saplings is lack of knowledge about urban culture among the people,” he said.

He said the municipality launched multiple awareness programs by involving prayer leaders and people’s representatives about urban culture in schools, mosques and other places.

He added: “The municipality has its own teams who talk to people about the urban culture, I hope the municipality will succeed t to create  awareness among people who were displaced from suburban areas to the city”.

But some residents complained that saplings after being planted in the city were not taken care of and residents should be encouraged to take care of them.

Burhanuddin, a resident, said some people lacking awareness about the benefits of trees cut them down.

So the government should not only grow trees, but it should create awareness about the benefits of greenery, he said. He said every citizen should plant a tree every year.

He said: “In order to boost greenery and biodiversity, every person should grow a tree, but some people not only do no grow trees, they cut them, I ask such people to grow a tree sapling instead”.

Mohammad FahimHashimi, another resident of Qala-i-Naw, said tree plantation was good for a society because greenery kept the environment clean, which was good for health.

He hoped that all people would advise their children not to cut trees, but to take care of them instead.

He also urged the government to distribute trees saplings to the people and implement impressive plans about the greenery.

He said: “It is the season to plant trees saplings, we must be united to grow trees and move towards a green society and tell our children not to harm them.”

Shamsulhaq Shams, an expert, said trees were important to protect water sources, clean the environment, generate oxygen and absorb harmful gases and bring down the temperature.

He asked everyone to grow at least one tree in order to get the aforementioned benefits of the greenery.

aw/ma

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