KARACHI: Vice Chancellor University of Karachi Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi on Friday said that unfortunately tree-plantation drives on a mass scale were never encouraged by governments in the past.

Rather than promoting tree-plantation campaigns in the metropolis concrete structures were built without any planning and considering their impact on the environment and peoples`lives, Dr Iraqi said while inaugurating the plantation drive here at KU`sAiwan-i-Liaquat Girls Hostel.

The plantation campaign was launched in collaboration with Dua Foundation.

Due to lack of urban forests and trees we have seen a drastic increase in temperature and also facing water shortage owing to little rainfall in many parts of the country in general and in Karachi in particular, Dr Iraqi said.He said that fortunately, both federal and provincial governments arenow taking this issue seriously and encouraging the culture of tree plantation at the grassrootlevel.

The KU VC observed that planting trees is not only the responsibility of the governments and stressed that everyone should practically take part in it, so that we could bring positive change in the city.-APP