Firewood sales soar as winter’s grip tightens in KP
PESHAWAR, (APP): Smile is back on the face of 72 years-old Amanullah Khan after his wood taals started roaring business in the wake of significant decrease in the mercury level during harsh cold weather that griped Peshawar valley.
Busy like a honeybee in cutting timber of native and indigenous species with big saw in his fire wood taal with support of five laborers located at Pabbi station on main GT Road in Nowshera, Amanullah was working against the time to complete orders placed by hundreds of households, tandoors, hotels and marriages halls during winter.
Amanullah’s sons were seen helping his father in preparing bundles of endangered shisham, pulai, ber, kikar, poplar, neem, amaltas, soru and jaman in his wood taal spread on nearly two acres with trees’ trunks spread everywhere on his business place.
“The price of one mound (50kg) firewood starts from Rs700 to Rs800 depending upon quality of the timber,” said Amanullah, adding that firewood demand increased manifolds in December-January due to shortage of natural gas and high prices of LPG cylinder.
“We prefer customers from tandoors, hotels and marriage halls due high purchase and profit margin because of wedding season,” he said, adding these timbers were transported from far-flung areas of Nowshera, Charsadda, Peshawar and Mardan districts after its purchase from farmers on relatively less price than the government’s timber markets.
A visitor can see a large number of cut timbers and even uprooted trunks of trees at wood taals while moving on main GT Road between Tarnab Peshawar to Azakhel Nowshera depicting high rate of deforestation in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
According to National Forest Policy 2015, Pakistan’s total forest covered area was five percent and the country was losing about 27,000 hectares of forests per year mainly occurs in private and community owned natural forests.
The policy further revealed that forests resources in all provinces especially in KP and Gilgit Baltistan was under tremendous pressures particularly in the communal lands, shamalats, guzara and private owned forests.
The deforestation in watershed areas has adversely impacted agriculture yield and quantity of water at outlets besides triggering land degradation, loss of biodiversity and wildlife in Khyber Pakthunkhwa. In riparian and coastal areas especially in Sindh and Balochistan, the deforestation amplified floods and facilitates sea water intrusion thus inflicting huge economic losses due to the government kitty as evident of devastative 2010 and 2002 floods.
Comparing Pakistan’s deforestation rate with the world, Tauheedul Haq, former Conservator Forests said that globally around 10 million hectares of forest every year were deforested equal to area of Portugal.
He said around half of this deforestation was counterbalanced by re-growing of forests, which means that an overall around five million hectares of the green gold was lost per year worldwide.
“Overpopulation, poverty and unnecessary trees logging was one of the major causes of deforestation,” said Tauheed, adding in 1947, Pakistan’s population was only 37 million that jumped to record 223 million in 2022 and if it continued growing with such high pace it is expected to touch 260.3 million in 2030 and 330.8 million by 2050, resulting an adverse effects on the green gold, wildlife and bees population.
He said arrival of influx of over four million afghan refugees after USSR Invasion in 1979 had made negative effects on forest resources in Khyber Pakthunkhwa including erstwhile Fata where even roots of thousands of trees were dig out by afghan refugees for monetary gains, adding the world community had made no significant contribution for revival of forestry sector in these areas that was a matter of great concerns.
He said about 68 percent forests in the country were being used as firewood and 15 percent trees were being lost due to urbanization and community-driven demands. He warned that if we do not change our green sector policies and shift to adaptation of alternative energy resources including solar, hydroelectric, biomass and wind then there was every possibility of losing existing forests in next few decades besides witnessing frequent climate change’s disasters.
He said deforestation was a national challenge and there was a need of imposing ‘green emergency’ to conserve and protect the green gold by looking above party politics. He also suggested agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan to control smuggling of timber.
Wajid Ali Khan, former Minister for Environment and Forests said that PTI leadership instead of launching crackdown on timber mafia were concentrating more on agitation politics.
He claimed that thousands of trees planted under billions trees afforestration project were prematurely cut in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
Wajid underlined the need for regulating of wood business in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Forest Department officials said that under KP Forest Ordinance 2002, Forest Force has been raised in KP with powers like police to protect forest resources and conduct operations against timber mafia.
The KP forest force was equipped with necessary weaponry, ammunition, vehicles and communication system with the power to shoot offenders and timber mafia in self-defense in case of violation of laws.
The forest officers can arrest, detain or take an accused into custody besides checking any vehicle, boat, railways wagon, pack animals and seize the smuggled timber.
DFOs/RFOs can enter any depot, wood/saw cutting unit, building or any premises to search and seize timber and arrest offender besides holding investigation, inquiry and arrest any offender without any warrant from magistrate.
The official said forest force’s jurisdiction has been extended to merged areas where check-posts were also established on national and regional highways and roads to curb timber smuggling.
The experts suggested special forest courts for speedy trial of the accused, increase in lock ups, modern wireless system and mobility vehicles imperative to curb timber smuggling.
They underscored the need for early operationalization of COP 29 UN fund to help combate climate change and deforestation in developing countries including Pakistan.
