ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday stressed the need for citizens to actively participate in a national tree plantation campaign to battle climate challenges, state-run media reported, with monsoon rains and flash floods killing nearly 180 people since July 1. 

Pakistan is recognized as one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effects of climate change. The South Asian country has experienced erratic weather patterns over the past few years, ranging from torrential rain spells to severe droughts that scientists attribute to climate change. 

Unusually heavy monsoon rains in 2022 triggered flash floods that killed over 1,700 people, inflicted damages over $30 billion across Pakistan and affected nearly 33 million people in the country. Pakistan’s disaster management authorities say the ongoing monsoon season has killed nearly 180 people, with most of the casualties taking place in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and eastern Punjab provinces. 

“President Asif Ali Zardari has urged all Pakistanis, particularly the youth, to actively participate in the Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign 2024 by planting as many trees as possible to support the national objective of increasing tree cover in the country,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. 

Pakistan launched the Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign 2024 in August this year. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said whilst launching the initiative that through it the government hopes its departments plant over 100 million trees this year. 

Zardari highlighted that only 5 percent of Pakistan’s total land area is covered by forests, saying that they were under severe pressure due to increasing demand for wood and other land uses.

“Through this Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign, we have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on our environment and secure a greener, healthier future for our younger generation,” the president said. 

“I want to emphasize that forestry remains a top priority on Pakistan’s development agenda.”

Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities have warned citizens that the current spell of rain in the country is expected to last till August 20 and is likely to trigger flash floods and landslides, especially in the northern hilly areas. 

The South Asian country has warned tourists against traveling unnecessarily during the current spell of monsoon rains and urged them to seek assistance through the National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) mobile application.