Prime Minister PM Imran Khan on Saturday said that urban forestry through Miyawaki method, a unique technique to grow forests; is the best way to fight pollution in Pakistan.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Imran shared a comparison of two pictures showing Lahore’s Liberty Roundabout condition before January 2020 and in February 2021.

Imran Khan in his tweet wrote: I have launched urban forestry on the lines of Miyawaki technique in Japan where the trees grow 10 times faster and 30 times denser and is the best way to fight pollution. 50 sites have been chosen in Lahore. The first experiment was in Liberty roundabout in 2020.

https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1360464267699445760

On Friday, Imran Khan had inaugurated the urban forest at Jilani Park in Lahore – one of the most densely populated cities of Pakistan.

The government announced the development of 51 urban forests based on the Miyawaki method as part of efforts to restore biodiversity and fight the climate crisis.

In his address, Imran Khan said that the annual smog in Lahore was a hazardous threat to public health and quality of life and the government would now seek to reverse the environmental neglect that Lahore had faced during its urban development. “Lahore’s forest cover has been reduced by 70 percent in the last 12-13 years” which is causing the smog and other health issues, he said.

Invented by and named after Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, the ‘Miyawaki Method’ is a unique technique to grow forests. Under the approach, dozens of native species are planted in the same area, close to each other, which ensures that the plants receive sunlight only from the top, and grow upwards than sideways.