RAWALPINDI:Commissioner, Rawalpindi Division/Director General, Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Gulzar Hussain Shah on Saturday directed Metropolitan Planning and Traffic Engineering Directorate, RDA to prepare green regulations for intensification and restoration of ecosystem through maximization of Potohari flora.
He emphasized the need to align the RDA’s regulatory framework with the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami vision. In this regard, he directed that RDA needs to adopt intensification and maximization of indigenous Potohari flora, revival and rehabilitation of Potohari wildernesses, revival of Potohari ecosystem in urban settings, making urban settings conducive to protection, promotion and revival of Potohari flora and fauna including Potohari and migratory birds, minimization of exotic flora, especially its replacement in the public space with Potohari flora, maximizing land use efficiency for human settlements for maximizing area under wildernesses, forests and green fields, maximizing area under wilderness, forests and green fields, maximization of carbon sequestration within urban settings by maximizing Potohari tree, bush, shrub cover in public and private space, maximization of use of wood and its derivatives as construction material for maximizing carbon sequestration/sink, maximization of urban sunny surface (rooftops etc.) use for solar panels for producing renewable energy.
The commissioner said, “We all have observed fast vanishing of Potohari and migratory fauna since the flora being planted in homes, parks and open areas etc. is mostly exotic; trees are of exotic origin and not supportive for the indigenous fauna.
He said that by planting and promoting Potohari Flora i.e. in parks, play grounds, along nullahs, streams, along utility corridors, public buildings (mosques, hospitals etc.), commercial area’s parking lots, graveyards and of course in the homes/rooftops/lowers etc. we can restore food chains of Potohari and migratory fauna within the urban settings.