SECMC completes million trees in Thar campaign to celebrate World Environment Day

KARACHI: Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) a J-V between the Government of Sindh and private companies is committed to helping Pakistan achieve energy security through reliance on indigenous Thar Coal reserves while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the environment as well as accelerate socio-economic progress in the region.

SECMC celebrated ‘World Environment Day on the 5th of June 2021, by completing its Million-Tree Plantation Program in the Thar Desert, while continuing several other environmental conservation and preservation initiatives in the remote region of Thar.

With rising concerns about the rapid desertification and deforestation in Thar, in 2017, SECMC launched the Thar Million Tree program to combat the deterioration of this ecology in compliance with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 13 & 15.

By the first quarter of 2018, the company had successfully developed Sindh’s largest private sector nursery, with a capacity to plant and nourish 0.5 Million saplings. SECMC is also investing on free healthcare and education for the local communities while creating awareness about sustainability and global best practices in environmental conservation.

The Chief Executive Officer of SECMC – Syed Abul Fazal Rizvi expressed his delight on the success of this earth-friendly initiative and stated, “Besides ensuring the robust operational performance of our business, we have pledged to undertake a number of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives aimed at uplifting the quality-of-life for the impoverished communities living in this remote Tharparkar region.

He said vegetation and greenery will have a long-term impact on sustainability, climate and food security while enhancing the scenic beauty of this vast, semi-arid desert. We pledge to continue to plant more trees and also scale up our bio-saline agriculture project which is in the commercial development phase right now.

One of the most unique features of this venture was the enthusiastic involvement of the surrounding populace, who played a key role by conducting multiple plantation drives, like; ‘One Home-One Tree’ and ‘Thari Women Painting Thar Green’, along with the ‘Thar Green Drives’ at schools, villages and hospitals.

The ‘Thar Million Tree Nursery’ used the Miyawaki technique of plantation on 100 acres at Thar Block-2 Site, where a dense forest was grown to increase greening efforts and promote biodiversity.

The tree species include; Neem, Bairi, Samhain, Moringa, Babur and Kandi. Various experts and organizations were engaged as consultants and partners which made this unique project a resounding success, including; Thar Foundation, Sindh Forest Department, the Health And Nutrition Development Society, (HANDS), Urban Forest, Children & Family Welfare Organization (CFWO) and  Dua Foundation.