‘’INCULCATE THE HABIT OF PURCHASING TREES IS THE BEST WAY TO CREATE YOUR TRUE FRIEND’’

By Naushad Kazi

(THE STORY BELONG TO DADU, A BACKWARD AND OLDEST DISTRICT OF SINDH, PAKISTAN)

A true friend is one who stands by us during good times as well as bad times. Based on

this criterion, we may regard trees as our best friends, because they have stood by us for

centuries. They keep our environment clean and fresh; give us shade throughout the year,

and attract rain clouds.

Dadu is the one of the oldest districts of Sindh, Pakistan; the climate of the district is

intensively hot in summer and cold enough in winter. It is situated in arid and semi-arid

zone of Pakistan, and hence prone to drought. Today exploration of oil and gas in the

mountains of the district Dadu became the main reason of environmental problems; so

significance is required to give to establish green belt. Even birds and animals had stopped

coming to the Khirthar range from other parts of the world due to deterioration of

environment.

This is a story about Kaacho, a remote area where people have been facing several

problems due to drought and hot weather since beginning. Normally in summer session

temperature would remain to rise up to 52 centigrade in the area. Due to such level of

temperature, people were compelled to think about to take preventive measures to

reduce the temperature.

The Civil Society Support Programme (CSSP) is a non-profit civil society organization

emerged as a response to the challenges facing by civil society of Pakistan with regards to

the fight against poverty, social injustice, and governance issues in Pakistan. Through the

support and funding by OXFAM GB, CSSP formed Effective Citizenship Groups (ECG) and

strengthened them through different trainings and multi stakeholder meeting in such

vicinity. Mr. Muhammad Ali Solangi who is one of the most active ECG members there; by

profession he is a Primary School teacher and also engaged to run his confectionary shop.

Although he remains very busy to increase his livelihood from the both occupations. But,

for his inner satisfaction, he is doing social work to change the lives of people in his

vicinity.

Keeping in view the above challenging situation of environment and the objective of

enhancing greenery, the person started a tree plantation campaign by planting a sapling

at his residence. Further the main theme of the campaign was to encourage people to

plant at least one tree in their surrounding where they live and not only plant the sapling /

tree but also take care and nurture it till it becomes a fully grown tree.

The second step of his campaign was to inculcate the habit of purchasing trees in the

people of vicinity and start to plant such trees at their own. He spent a little amount for

purchasing of 2000 trees which collected through contribution by ECG group members.

Also, Mr. Muhammad Ali went to visit forest department for the provision of 2000 plants

of trees and desired to give him the fastest growing tree Conocarpus which easily can

survive in the weather of Dadu. Due to his tireless efforts, today the people of vicinity

realized the importance of tree planting and remember him ever in their prayers, being as

gentle and most helping souls.