Editorial: How to stop the destruction of dense forests in Punjab?
Only 3.67 percent of the total land area of Punjab is under forest.
Editorial: How to stop the destruction of dense forests in Punjab? There is a huge lack of seriousness in Punjab towards saving trees or increasing forest cover. Indiscriminate felling of trees in the name of development of roads or urban amenities has been going on for decades. Although the Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently imposed a complete ban on felling of trees in Punjab and Haryana, the chances of the governments of both the states following these orders sincerely seem slim. From the discussions in the media, it also seems that challenging the orders of the High Court in the Supreme Court is also being considered.
This is a regrettable strategy. To cope with the situation arising from global warming and environmental pollution, both the states need to increase their respective forest cover rapidly, but the governments of both states are showing ignorance of this need. The Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal have directed that if trees have to be cut down for development projects, then they should be replaced by replacement trees in the same area. But media reports paint a different picture. A recent report says that 14,114 trees cut down for the purpose of widening National Highway-7 in Fazilka district of Punjab are being replaced by replacement trees in other districts, especially Pathankot and Amritsar. This is not only a violation of the orders of the National Green Tribunal, but also a violation of the national policy on social and economic forestry. Government officials claim that there is a shortage of such places in the Fazilka district where more than 14,000 trees can be planted. But environmentalists call this argument wrong. They argue that 14 percent of the land in the district is suitable for expanding the forest canopy. This reality is being deliberately ignored.
Only 3.67 percent of the total land area of Punjab is under forest. In Haryana, this area is 3.63 percent. Both these figures are much lower than the national average. The Punjab government claims that the number of trees in the state has increased during the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rule, but environmental experts believe that, despite the increase in the number of trees, the number of dense forests has now become negligible. Dense forests act as the lungs that ensure clean air. Until the number of dense forests does not increases, the impact of global warming cannot be reduced. It is a regrettable aspect that the people of Punjab are also not mobilizing against the absence of forest cover. It cannot be ignored that when a 40-50 year old shade tree is cut, it takes at least 20 years for the new plant to grow young and become as shady. Therefore, before taking a decision to cut down shade and dense trees, the impact of this decision must be assessed, that too with the help of environmentalists. Such actions should not be just paper, but practical; that too with public participation.
It is a result of the failure and inconsistency of government policies that only 21.76 percent of the total geographical area of India is under forests or trees. Considering the population of 1.40 billion, this percentage should be at least 33. If this percentage is not between 75 and 85 in the five northeastern states, then it can be easily estimated how much the total Indian forest cover has decreased. The desertification of our country is increasing rapidly due to the decreasing number of shade trees and dense forests. It is also a paradox that the forest cover of Rajasthan, whose sandy soil is considered a major reason for the dusty conditions of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, is increasing year by year. This year it is 9.60 percent. Can't Punjab also learn a lesson from Rajasthan to improve the condition of its lungs?