Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, stated on Friday that adopting the simple principle of filtering and purifying smoke emissions from factories can protect the health and well-being of elders. He made these remarks during a media talk at the Urban Forest in Clifton.
Urban Forest as a Model of Environmental Service
Dr. Malik emphasized that if one lives in an area where regional pollution can shorten elders' lives by two to four years, then the Urban Forest represents a great service and a perpetual charity (Sadaqah-e-Jariyah). He noted that the water used in the Urban Forest is actually sewage water—water that is often considered unusable and avoided. This water, after treatment, has been used to create and sustain the forest.
Turning Pollution into Life
The minister explained that the water is first treated to a certain extent to become usable, and then it gives life to the forest. He praised the process, saying that carbon dioxide and pollution, which are harmful to life, have been utilized to generate life. This transformation is a miracle and truly wonderful, he appreciated. He added that when carbon rises, it causes temperatures to increase, leading to glacier melt, floods, and devastation. This has occurred many times in the region; just a few years ago, more than a third, perhaps half, of Sindh was submerged under several feet of water.
Oxygen Production and Temperature Control
The Urban Forest not only produces oxygen but also stops the very processes that raise temperatures, melt glaciers, and bring destruction. Dr. Malik highlighted that beneath the ground, another city is thriving—a city of microbes. While the visible city consists of trees and vegetation, the actual city is underneath our feet: an entire bed of microbes, a whole forest. There is a forest above ground, and three times that size, there is a forest underground made of microbes, which takes in carbon daily and stores it. This massive battery saves us from destruction.
Impact of Floods on Lives and Education
Dr. Malik reported that six thousand people have been lost to floods, and twenty thousand people have been injured or disabled. Forty million people have been displaced, which is more than the population of many large European countries. He stressed that if a child misses school for even a month, it feels very bad. Imagine, 1.8 billion school-days have been lost due to these floods. Communities and settlements were destroyed, people were displaced and could not return home for four months. When they did return, their schools had been washed away, and it takes an unknown amount of time to rebuild them.
Appreciation for the Urban Forest Initiative
The minister concluded that the Urban Forest is a great endeavor and represents a miracle. He prayed for all those who participated in this work and extended gratitude to those who are now running it, whom the government has entrusted to operate it. He expressed hope that they will run it with the same great heart, deep desire, passion, and sense of purpose and care with which it was built.
