Feature: China-funded forest flourishes in Pakistan's Gwadar as symbol of friendship

https://english.news.cn/20241001/d0db756e74104906b9502b59eccce0d1/c...

by Misbah Saba Malik, Deng Kaiyin

GWADAR, Pakistan, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- As the sea breeze swept through a vibrant forest just a few yards away from the bustling Gwadar Port, here in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, Muhammad Iqbal called out firmly from a corner, instructing his subordinates to water the plants carefully, making sure not to trample the delicate saplings.

For the 57-year-old fellow, who has been working with the port for the last 16 years, this friendship forest is not just a collection of greenery but a personal labor of love.

As one of the pillar projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Gwadar Port has been operated by China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) since 2013.

Launched in 2013, CPEC, the flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking the Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while in the new phase expands to fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others.

"This place was once barren, with nothing but dust blowing around all day," he recalled. "One day, a Chinese manager from COPHC told me that they were going to transform this land into a forest, and that is how it all began."

"We have selected tree species suitable for local climate with wind-breaking and sand-fixing functions for the greening project," said Wang Ruilei, who was in charge of greening at COPHC, adding that after joint efforts from both sides, more than 4,000 trees have been planted in the friendship forest in Gwadar.

The once-empty plot has now blossomed into a lush sanctuary, and the seedlings that Iqbal planted are now grown into strong trees providing beautiful scenery and fresh air to the people of Gwadar.

"As per our observation, the maximum ground temperature in a year used to reach 52 degrees Celsius, but now it is around 43 degrees Celsius," said Wang, "I am proud to say that I can feel the improvement of the local climate brought by the forest."

The forest has seen Chinese ambassadors to Pakistan and foreign ambassadors from countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the European Union to Pakistan plant trees during their visits to Gwadar, and each tree stands as a symbol of growing diplomatic ties between Pakistan and these nations.

Bilal Javed, Iqbal's subordinate who joined him a year ago, has been assigned the most crucial responsibility of nurturing the plants the dignitaries had planted.

"Iqbal is meticulous about these plants," Bilal said, adding that "they represent memories of our foreign guests, and we must ensure they flourish -- just like Pakistan's relations with China and these countries."

The 27-year-old said that the forest also motivated him and many other young people of Gwadar to replicate the good work and plant trees at their homes.

"Before this forest, this area used to be dusty and warm, but with all this greenery, the air feels cleaner and fresher," Bilal said, taking a deep breath as the breeze rustled the leaves of the trees overhead.

As a key component of the Chinese Ambassador's Green Employment Plan Project, the forest has helped promote local employment and increased farmers' income in Gwadar.

In a conversation with Xinhua, Allah Buksh, another forester in the forest, said the trees and shrubs planted in the forest have provided a large amount of feed for the sheep farm.

"Chinese staff has also taught local farmers techniques such as cuttings, grafting, scientific weeding, and fertilization to increase crop yields," he added.

The transformation of this once-desolate land into a flourishing forest has not only beautified the port area but has also sparked a green movement, making Iqbal plan to expand the forest of the kind to other parts of the city.

'Tarbela project to generate power next year' | The Express Tribune

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2555035/tarbela-project-to-generate-po...

The Tarbela Dam's total generating capacity is currently 4,888 MW. However, with the completion of the 5th Extension project, which is expected in 2025, the capacity will increase to 6,418 MW.This makes Tarbela Pakistan's largest hydropower generation unit.

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The total electricity generation capacity of Tarbela Power House will reach 6,418 megawatts from the existing 4,888 MW after the commissioning of the Tarbela 5th Extension Project in 2025.

The WAPDA spokesman told APP the project would provide environment-friendly and low-cost hydel electricity to the National Grid.

WAPDA is constructing the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project on Tunnel No 5 of Tarbela Dam with the financial assistance of World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

https://www.radio.gov.pk/29-05-2023/tarbelas-power-generation-capac...

WAPDA to build 5 small dams in GB to generate 13940MW electricity

https://www.nation.com.pk/29-Oct-2024/wapda-to-build-5-small-dams-i...

GILGIT - Project Director of the Diamer Bhasha Dam, Nizakat Hussain, stated that WAPDA plans to build five small dams in Gilgit-Baltistan with a total capacity of 13,940MW. While speaking to media representatives at the site of the dam, he mentioned that the dams, which include Shevik, Skardu Sho, Thargos, Elbo, and Bunji, will be con­structed by WAPDA and will provide much-need­ed electricity to the country. Additionally, these dams will accelerate industrial development and significantly improve food security.

According to Nizakat Hussain, work on the five dams will commence in Gilgit-Baltistan as soon as possible, with Bunji Dam generating the most electricity at 7,100MW. He informed that the smallest power project will be Shevik, which will produce 4,600MW. He added that the con­struction of these dams will not only increase the lifespan of the Diamer Bhasha Dam, Dasu, and Tarbela Dams but also enhance their capac­ity. He revealed that the project aims to increase the height of the Diamer Bhasha Dam and deep­en the river to extend the life of the lower dams.


Nizakat Hussain emphasized that the con­struction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam will help prevent soil from upper areas from reaching other dams. He also mentioned that 70% of the work on the dam has been completed and is ex­pected to finish by 2029. “The dam will have a tunnel with enough capacity to store ten days’ worth of water, which will help reduce water scarcity in Tarbela Dam during winters,” he add­ed. Additionally, the dam will help control flood damage by regulating water flow during high floods, he informed. Nizakat Hussain also noted that hundreds of Chinese nationals are playing a crucial role in the dam’s construction, and the dam’s lifespan is expected to be 80 years, which can be extended with the construction of small dams in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Furthermore, Hussain stated that the Diam­er-Bhasha Dam is a concrete dam, and its con­struction is the largest in the world.