Many residents fear the vision will continue to erode as concrete replaces green spaces.
ISLAMABAD:
Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, was once known for its lush greenery, but the felling of trees across the city to build infrastructure has sparked local anger and even legal action.
Built in the 1960s, Islamabad was designed as a green city, with wide avenues, parks and tree-lined areas.
Many residents fear the vision will continue to erode as concrete replaces green spaces.
Muhammad Naveed sued authorities this year for “large-scale tree cutting” for infrastructure projects, accusing them of felling “many mature trees” and leaving the land “barren.”
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has blamed the massive destruction of trees and natural vegetation in Islamabad on major infrastructure development, including the construction of roads and monuments.
Between 2001 and 2024, the capital lost 14 hectares of tree cover, the equivalent of 20 football fields, according to Global Forest Watch, although this figure does not take into account tree cover gains over the same period.
For Kamran Abbasi, a local businessman and resident since the 1980s, it seems “like they are cutting down trees everywhere.” “It’s not the same anymore,” he told AFP.
“Trees are life. Thousands of trees are cut down to build a bridge.”
Meanwhile, air quality in Islamabad continues to deteriorate.
Pollution is a long-standing problem, but plants can help by filtering dirty air, absorbing harmful gases and cooling cities.
“Forests act as powerful natural filters…cleaning air and water and reducing the overall impact of pollution,” Muhammad Ibrahim, director of WWF-Pakistan’s forestry program, told AFP.
There were no days with good air quality in Islamabad last month, with all but two classified as “unhealthy” or “very unhealthy” by monitoring organization IQAir.
