QUETTA: On World Environment Day, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti emphasized that environmental protection is essential for human survival, economic growth, and securing the future of coming generations.
He highlighted that climate change, water scarcity, and mounting pressure on natural resources demand collective action.
The Chief Minister noted that this year’s World Environment Day theme holds special significance for a drought-affected province like Balochistan, where the impacts of climate change are already starkly visible, making eco-friendly policies an urgent necessity.
Highlighting the province’s ecological assets, the Chief Minister stated that the globally renowned Juniper forests of Ziarat, national parks, and rare wildlife constitute Balochistan’s precious natural heritage.
He warned that deforestation, illegal hunting, solid waste management failures, and acute water shortages pose critical threats to the local ecosystem.
Failing to address these environmental challenges effectively could severely disrupt the province’s agriculture, economy, and public health sector.
To counter these threats, Chief Minister Bugti announced that the provincial government is boosting its tree-planting initiatives under the “Green Balochistan Program” and executing specialized projects dedicated to restoring the Ziarat Juniper forests.
He affirmed that the administration is prioritizing wildlife conservation, water infrastructure, and dam construction, while strictly enforcing bans on plastic bags and single-use plastics.
Concluding his message, the Chief Minister stressed that environmental protection cannot succeed without public cooperation, urging every citizen to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle and plant at least one tree per household while actively conserving water as a vital national asset.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, possesses a unique but highly fragile ecological landscape.
The region holds immense natural wealth, most notably the ancient Juniper forests of Ziarat, which represent one of the oldest living ecosystems in the world and serve as a crucial habitat for rare wildlife.
However, these vital forests face severe degradation due to rapid deforestation, illegal logging, and climate-induced droughts.
Simultaneously, Balochistan is gripped by an acute water crisis.
The province relies heavily on a depleting underground water table and traditional, vulnerable irrigation networks like karez systems and seasonal rivers.
As climate change accelerates desertification, the unchecked depletion of these scarce forest and water resources directly threatens regional biodiversity, local agricultural stability, and human survival.
