Islamabad: China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) plans to play their part in the Prime Minister’s Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Project by planting one million saplings in Gwadar, a news source reported. This was announced during the company’s recent meeting with the Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam.
A delegation of the COPHC, led by their Chairman Zhang Baozhong, met with Aslam at the ministry in Islamabad to discuss matters of importance. The adviser emphasised that the government wanted to establish Gwadar as a green, sustainable city. They want to set a standard for other cities to follow.
Officials of COPHC said that plant species for plantation were being selected very carefully keeping the climate, soil conditions, and water availability of Gwadar in mind. Planting one sapling in Gwadar costs approximately PKR 20,000 owing to the severe weather conditions, and the chances of survival for each sapling is less than 50%. Thus, the endeavour will be costly, and various challenges will have to be overcome to make it a success.
A special committee consisting of COPHC, Gwadar Development Authority, Municipal Committee Gwadar, and Balochistan Forest Department, has been setup to manage the project. A nursery has also been setup to prepare plants to meet the one million target.
