De-Forestation, Every one's problem

-- Editorial

Forests are a gift of nature and the adornment of our mountains. They act as a balancing force combating the vagaries of the climate, they protect us from land slides, flash floods, and soil erosion, to mention a few benefits. Cutting down the precious deodar trees which take at least 50 years to mature, for the sake of a quick buck is certainly not the right thing to do.

Forested areas which comprise the southern part of Chitral district are now getting ugly by the day due to indiscriminate logging. Devastating floods in the recent years are an example how nature can avenge it's mistreatment.

The people in forested areas who have come to depend on selling deodar trees for a living, need to be compensated adequately before imposing a complete ban on deforestation for the next at least twenty years.

Cheap electricity through harnessing the immense hydel power, should be provided to the people as fuel to spare the oak trees currently the favorite firewood.  United Nations should be approached to provide funds for this purpose. After all, environment is everybody's problem. If nature is assaulted in Chitral today it will punish the wrong doers in its own way and will not spare Europe or America, as environment knows no boundaries. If it gets good for Chitral, it gets good for the world. CN Editorial, 26 Dec 2011.

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