Deforestation in Pakistan.

Byline: WAHEED WAHID - Kech

Trees are the lungs of nature. According to the experts, forests must cover at least 25 pc of the total area of the country. Unfortunately, the figures released by the ministry of climate change in 2015 indicate how only 5 percent of the country is covered with trees now.

An estimation shows that when Pakistan gained its independence in 1947, 30 percent of the country was covered with forests. Over time, the locals started chopping down the trees for several purposes such as to get land for agriculture, new roads and towns, hydroelectric dams, for mining to achieve oil and to get wood for commercial purposes.

Due to hewing down the trees in a large number, some of the most hazardous and unsettling effects are being generated. For example, extinction of animals and plants...