https://arab.news/cw2xq
- Shams Ullah Durrani, 33, says he has planted over 2,000 trees in various districts of Balochistan over the past five years聽
- Through his 鈥楪reen Balochistan Organization,鈥� Durrani says he has spread climate awareness among 600 students in Quetta聽
QUETTA: Shams Ullah Durrani, an environmentalist from Pakistan鈥檚 southwestern Balochistan province said on Sunday he felt extremely 鈥渆xcited鈥� after becoming the first person from his country to bag the prestigious Kingdom of 黑料社区 Award for Environmental Management in the Islamic World (KSAAEM) earlier this month.
Durrani, 33, has been involved in planting trees for the past five years in Balochistan鈥檚 Quetta, Killa Abdullah and Pishin districts through the 鈥楪reen Balochistan Organization,鈥� a community volunteer initiative he formed in 2018 to plant trees at schools and other localities, and to spread awareness about the effects of climate change.
Durrani, who hails from Quetta, was among 22 people from 18 Islamic countries who bagged the KSAAEM award on Oct. 19 during the ninth Conference of Environment Ministers in the Islamic World organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). The event was hosted by the Saudi government in Jeddah.
Saudi minister for agriculture and environment, Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli, presented the award to Durrani during the ceremony. His Green Balochistan Organization won the second prize in the category of 鈥榩ioneering practices and activities for public benefit and civil society associations in Member States鈥� with Yemen鈥檚 Environment and Development Organization.
鈥淲hen I received this award, the level of excitement I felt was too much,鈥� Durrani told Arab News. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 begin to describe my feelings and emotions when I was called to the stage as 鈥楽hams Ullah from Pakistan.鈥欌€�
Pakistan has long ranked among the most climate-vulnerable countries, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. It is estimated to have lost nearly 10,000 lives to climate-related disasters and suffered losses amounting to $4 billion from extreme weather events between 1998 and 2018.
Last year, unusually heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers triggered raging floods in many parts of the country. Over 1,700 people were killed as Pakistan estimated damages from the floods to be around $30 billion.
Durrani said he had been pursuing his 鈥減assion鈥� to plant trees and protect the environment from climate-related disasters in Balochistan for five years now.
鈥淚 have planted more than 2,000 trees in Quetta and other districts of Balochistan,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have been keenly taking care of trees and saplings like [how you care for] small babies which I have planted in various government schools in Balochistan鈥檚 capital.鈥�
The environmentalist said he had engaged over 600 students from grade 7-10 in the Government Boys High School Pashtoonabad and the Government Boys High School Hajji Ghaibi Road in Quetta over the past five years to spread climate awareness with various activities and campaigns.
Hafiz Abdul Rehman Kakar, vice principal of the Government Boys High School Hajji Ghaibi Road, lauded Durrani for planting trees within the school鈥檚 vicinity and encouraging students to do the same.
鈥淢r. Shams Ullah has been visiting this school for the last five years and educating our children on [the effects of] climate change,鈥� Kakar told Arab News.
鈥淲e have planned to plant additional trees and saplings in the coming spring season to impart a healthy environment to our students.鈥�
Durrani, however, lamented that neither the provincial nor federal government contacted him after he returned with the KSAAEM award.
鈥淚 was expecting that I would receive a warm welcome back home after returning from 黑料社区, but officials working in the environment sector did not contact me,鈥� he said.
Aftab Ahmed, a 16-year-old ninth grader from the Government Boys High School Hajji Ghaibi Road, said he regularly brings a bottle of water with him to school to plant trees and provide water to existing ones.
鈥淲e have been protecting these trees for the last one-and-a-half year,鈥� he told Arab News.
鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a single tree inside our school but today there are many, giving us a scenic environment and providing a shadow for us during the hot sunny days of summer.鈥�