Ambitious Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Project Generates One Million `Green Jobs' In KP, 350 M Saplings Planted

For Imran Ahmad, a daily wage labour and father of three children, drastic slump in earnings in the wake of restrictive lockdown imposed for prevention of corona virus infection, life came to a standstill with apparently no options in sight for eking out living

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th May, 2021 ) :For Imran Ahmad, a daily wage labour and father of three children, drastic slump in earnings in the wake of restrictive lockdown imposed for prevention of corona virus infection, life came to a standstill with apparently no options in sight for eking out living.

"It was a very hard time of life for me because with empty pocket and no work in hand, my mind stopped working to think about options for fulfilling my daily life necessities," shared Imran while recalling the time when he lost job last year due to lock down imposed by government to contain spread of corona.

Imran's worries withered away within a couple of days as he soon got a job in government's offered "Ten of thousands out of work laborers in planting billions of trees across the country to deal with climate change threats'.

It was a great respite at a time when commercial activities came to a halt and being a daily wager, it had become very different for me to continue my work, he shared with APP.

The ongoing Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Project has not only provided thousands of jobs to virus-idled during corona lockdown but generated around one million jobs in the province since its inauguration in 2019.

Ten Billion Tsunami project is launched at national level after successful achievement of Billion Tree Tsunami project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The project will restore and enhance one million hectares of forest across the country.

The success of Billion Tree Tsunami project is also acknowledged by international organizations like World Economic Forum (WEF) which also declared Pakistan `Champion for Nature' for significant steps and measures aimed at tackling climate change.

Due to Pakistan's commitment in fight against global issue of climate change through its ambitious afforestation initiatives, the country has been selected for hosting World Environment Day this year (2021) on June 5 at Islamabad.

"Under 10-BTTP project, a total of 350 million sapling have been planted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the target of 500m," said Ibrahim Khan, an officer of KP Forest Department.

Talking to APP, Ibrahim informed that the department will achieve its target of planting 500 million plants till June 2021.

Under the project, KP has been assigned the task of planting one billion plants in additional to same number of plants already planted under Billion Tree Tsunami project.

He said in KP including merged district, Forest department developed 35 divisions and plantation is in progress in all of them.

In Malakand and Hazara regions where there are a large number of natural forests, around 4000 enclosures have been set up, 2000 in each district.

Giving the break-up of 99,1546 jobs, Ibrahim shared that the number of Daily Wagers hired in 2019-20 is 493,432. While 498,114 were provided green jobs in 2020-21.

Around 2838 numbers of jobs were of Negehbans (caretakers), 5250 of Chowkidars (Guards), 184908 jobs for daily wagers and 227 for skilled individuals.

About the wages paid as green stimulus, he said Rs. 500 were paid to wagers on daily basis while Rs. 15000 were paid to Chowkidars and Neghebans on monthly basis.

The projects also ensured mainstreaming gender equality at all levels of the forestry sector and created livelihood opportunities for women folk by offering them opportunity to develop nurseries.

In around two years of the project, 826 units of nurseries were raised by females in different parts of the province and were paid by the department for purchasing saplings.

Ibrahim informed that each unit of nursery consists of 25000 saplings and an average of Rs. 7 is paid for each sapling, making a total of around Rs. 150,000.

He said the department's target of developing nurseries is 1310 out of which 826 are raised so far and hopefully around 200 to 300 more will be developed within the current fiscal year.

Ibrahim said 10-BTTP provide a very good opportunity to virus idle people in the country by providing them jobs at a time when they were in dire need of it.

The initiative has served dual benefits of nurturing natures besides rescuing thousands of virus idled work force of the country by providing them green jobs, Ibrahim remarked.