Pakistan global host for World Environment Day.

LAHORE -- The World Environment Day is being celebrated in Pakistan on Saturday with several activities related to bringing improvement to the environment.

The day is celebrated annually on June 5 and is the United Nations' principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment.

The day's the me is 'Ecosystem Restoration' and Pakistan will be the global host for the big day. This day will also see the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem.

In this regard, the Environment Protection Department of Punjab highlighted the importance of the day and briefed the officers of the department about the achievements of the department so far, and laid out future strategies to address the environmental issues of the province.

Environment Secretary Zahid Hussain said that conversion of all old technology brick kilns to zigzag methodology was a great achievement of the department which helped reduction of about nine per cent of the air pollution. He said this was a paradigm shift. He also mentioned the replacement of two-stroke engine rickshaws with four-stroke engine rickshaws, and that the Punjab Green Development Programme will play a pivotal role in the improvement of the environment. He also appreciated the efforts of the government for extensive tree plantation under the billion tree programme.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan,a large number of awareness events, webinars and seminars are being organized in different cities across Pakistan to commemorate World Environment Day of 2021. To highlight the environmental challenges in the country and to showcase different conservation initiatives, a video bulletin to showcase the importance of mangroves and how empowering women from local communities have made a difference will be released. Moreover, awareness and education activities will be held with fishers in the Indus Delta and farmer communities in Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur, Multan and Sahiwal, and other cities in Punjab.

Mohsin Hafeez, the country representative of...