01/02/2026
๐ซSแดแดแดแดสส : โ๐ป๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ณ๐ถ๐บ๐ป ๐ญ๐ถ๐น๐ฌ๐บ๐ป๐บ ๐ถ๐ญ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ต๐ซ๐ฏโ Dแดแดกษด Mแดษขแดแดขษชษดแด Aสแดษชแดสแด, 01 Fแดสสแดแดสส, 2026
๐ฅ๐. ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐
1.1. ๐ด๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐
๐
Near the ThattaโKarachi bypass, a rabrri seller recalls a time when trees lined the roads, summers were bearable, and occasional drizzles softened the heat. Today, shade is gone, temperatures are extreme, and the landscape is dominated by relentless truck traffic.
1.2. ๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐
The loss of trees has altered the local climate, turning everyday survival into a struggle under an unforgiving sun.
๐ฅ๐. ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฅ
2.1. ๐จ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐
Trucks loaded with neem, babul, and keekarr timber move steadily from lower Sindh to Karachi, carrying away not just wood but ecosystems โ shade, biodiversity, and livelihoods.
2.2. ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
These timber convoys are no anomaly; they form an organised, daily flow of illegally cut wood, stripping Sindh of its natural defences against heat.
๐ฅ๐. ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ
3.1. ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Research shows deforestation directly increases surface temperatures by up to 4.5ยฐC by removing treesโ cooling effects.
3.2. ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐
Recurring heatwaves have led to hundreds of deaths annually. According to PDMA Sindh, the 2024 heatwave caused over 5,300 hospital admissions and livestock losses, while millions faced food insecurity due to heat and drought.
๐ฅ๐. ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ ๐
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ?
4.1. ๐ป๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐
Drivers allege trucks pay around Rs4,000 per trip to forest officials. With roughly 96 trucks a day on one route, millions of rupees circulate monthly through alleged bribes.
4.2. ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Despite public claims of afforestation and land reclamation, the Sindh Forest Department has offered no explanation for unchecked timber movement.
๐ฅ๐. ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐
๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
5.1. ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐
After annexing Sindh in 1843, British authorities reduced forests to inventories, exploiting babul and keekarr for railways, canals, and cantonments.
5.2. ๐ท๐๐๐-๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Pakistan inherited colonial forest laws. Barrages such as Sukkur, Guddu, and Kotri disrupted river flows, weakening natural regeneration of riverine forests.
๐ฅ๐. ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
6.1. ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐
Though official figures show only modest declines, estimates suggest up to 80pc of Sindhโs riverine forests have been destroyed or heavily degraded.
6.2. ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐-๐ณ๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
In Thatta, forest area declined sharply between 1990 and 2014, with some studies showing up to 89pc loss over three decades.
๐ฅ๐. ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฒ-๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
7.1. ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐ 2005
Introduced to increase tree cover, the policy instead opened forests to leasing. Trees were cleared first, with replantation rarely enforced.
7.2. ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐
The Sindh Sustainable Forest Management Policy 2019 admits weak enforcement and labels the 2005 policy โdetrimental.โ
๐ฅ๐. ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ, ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ญ
8.1. ๐พ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐?
Mature babul trees worth hundreds of thousands of rupees are cut and sold, while profits flow to timber mafias, landlords, and complicit officials.
8.2. ๐พ๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐
Landlessness and debt push workers into forest-cutting for meagre daily wages, offering short-term survival but fuelling long-term ecological collapse.
๐ฅ๐. ๐ ๐๐๐ง-๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
9.1. ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Experts describe riverine forests as critical infrastructure that regulates climate, supports biodiversity, and sustains livelihoods.
9.2. ๐ต๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐
Pakistanโs forest cover stands at just 4.7pc; Sindhโs productive forests cover only about 2pc of land. WWF estimates only five trees per person nationwide.
๐ฅ๐๐. ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐ฐ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐
10.1. ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐
While Sindh promotes mangrove restoration and carbon credits internationally, inland forests continue to be destroyed unchecked.
10.2. ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐
Deforestation persists not due to ignorance, but due to weak institutions, poor enforcement, and policy capture.
๐ฅ๐๐. ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐
11.1. ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐
Reforming the Sindh Forest Department through independent oversight, audits, and transparency is essential.
11.2. ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Updating forest laws, closing loopholes, using satellite monitoring, and making data public can improve accountability.
11.3. ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐-๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Payment-for-ecosystem-services and agroforestry models can align livelihoods with conservation.
11.4. ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐
๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐
Riverine forests and mangroves depend on Indus silt and water; ecological restoration requires letting the river flow.
๐ฅ๐๐. ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ
12.1. ๐ฌ๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Deforestation continues because it carries little political cost. Legislators and officials must be held accountable for forest loss.
12.2. ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐
๐ป๐๐๐-๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Without systemic reform, afforestation drives risk becoming symbolic gestures rather than real solutions.
๐ฅ๐๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ
13.1. ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐
Despite a 2025 ban on night-time timber transport, trucks continue moving through the dark.
13.2. ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐
As dawn breaks, the rabrri seller opens his stall again โ and the timber trucks keep rolling, carrying Sindhโs forests away, one load at a time.
