ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad has decided to start a project to cut down mulberry trees and plant native trees instead. This was discussed in a meeting at CDA headquarters, led by Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa. Environmental experts and senior CDA officers were also present.
Mulberry trees cause pollen allergies for many people in Islamabad, especially in spring when pollen levels are high. The chairman said over 10,000 mulberry trees will be removed from Shakarparian and replaced with thousands of local trees. Pollen comes from trees, grasses, and weeds as part of their growth process.
Islamabad has many paper mulberry trees, and last year, some were removed from F-9 Park. The CDA had plans before to remove them but couldn’t carry them out. An official said it’s a good step, but CDA should make sure only mulberry trees are cut down.
In the meeting, it was shared that about 10,000 mulberry trees will be removed from Shakarparian and 50,000 new trees will be planted.
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Along drains and roads, 1,000 mulberry trees will be taken out and 80,000 local trees will be added. In other parts of the city, 10,000 mulberry trees will be replaced with 50,000 new plants. This year, private companies will also help with planting.
Chairman Randhawa said they will work hard to remove mulberry trees. He suggested planting local trees like loquat, guava, fig, apricot, peepal, and native mulberry. Last year, over 5,000 mulberry trees were removed from F-9, and 10,000 new trees were planted. This spring, 30,000 environment-friendly plants will be added.
The chairman asked for the remaining mulberry trees to be removed quickly to help with allergies. He also said a list of suitable plants should be put on the CDA website for people to see. He wants fruit trees, shade trees, and flowering trees planted this spring. Students, teachers, and staff from schools should join the effort.
For the Margalla Hills, he suggested using helicopters to spread seeds. He also asked private housing societies to support the project and recommended setting up plant stalls at low-price markets during Ramazan.
