Kalash valleys fast loosing trees

CHITRAL, 01 May 08: The Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur are being denuded of its natural beauty by mass scale harvesting of its walnut trees, the locals said. Talking to this scribe here, president of Chitral Forum of Environmental Journalists (GFEJ) Mohkamuddin has said that some non-local traders have purchased the trees from the Kalash people at exorbitant prices and these are being transported out of the district. He said that the walnut trees were the main source of income for the local people on one hand and magnifies the beauty and charm of the valleys on the other. He said that the nuts obtained from walnut trees are mostly favourite dry fruit and about 80 percent of the produce of the district is derived from the Kalash valleys. He said that a walnut tree takes about seventy years to become mature and ready for harvesting. Mr. Mohkam said that the Kalash valleys minus the tall walnut trees will be equal to zero and the government should take a serious notice of the alarming situation due to the massacring of the trees. He said that being economically feeble, the Kalash people cannot resist the temptation which the non-local timber traders offer them in the form of high prices for their trees. He said that the walnut wood is on high demand in the market. He said that some years ago, the government had imposed ban on the cutting of walnut trees in the district without permission from the forest department and the decision was meant to preserve the natural beauty of the area. “The tourism industry  will go to ruin and it will take decades to regain it if the ruthless cutting of the walnut trees went on unabashedly”, he said. According to the data gathered from the locals, about 600 trees have been harvested which are being converted into log to be transported to the downdistricts, he added.--(Zahiruddin)