PM Khan inaugurates Pakistan's first 'smart' forest to help mitigate climate change

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurates the country's first "smart forest" in Sheikhupura, Punjab province, on August 25, 2021. (Photo courtesy: PM Office)

• The government has partnered with tech giant Huawei to monitor tree plantation at a forest in Sheikhupura
• Prime Minister Imran Khan says a massive forestation campaign is vital to save the country for the coming generations

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first "smart forest" in Sheikhupura as part of an ongoing urban development project, saying the initiative would address a host of issues including the adverse impact of climate change in the area.
The Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project, which seeks to build a planned city in Pakistan’s eastern district of Lahore, was inaugurated last year in August.
The project has a strong environmental component to it since it aims to address the contamination of the Ravi River that flows through the region.
The prime minister launched the initiative by planting a sapling at Sheikhupura's Rakh Jhok forest which has also been laced with sensors and surveillance systems that have been installed in collaboration with tech giant Huawei.
"We will now be able to see the rate at which a plant is growing and check the chopping of trees," Khan said in his televised comments at the launch ceremony.
He said massive forestation was vital to save the country for the coming generations.
"If we want to hand over a green and clean Pakistan to our next generation, tree plantation is the foremost solution," he continued.
Khan also expressed confidence that the project would be replicated in other parts of the country.
He recalled that Lahore was once described as the "City of Gardens," though it had now turned into a highly polluted urban center.
The prime minister noted that water shortage, deforestation and glacier-melting were the biggest challenges to his country, adding that Pakistan was most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
He said the Ravi urban development project would address all these issues, apart from generating $40 billion in revenues along with one million employment opportunities.
Under the project, Khan said, about 10 million trees would be planted and three barrages constructed on the Ravi River.
He added that the government would also be setting up filtration plants to ensure the provision of clean water to the residents of the area.