Afforestation: A Sisyphean task?

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Khalilur Rahman
We know about the episode of Sisyphus, a king of Corinth, who, according to Greek mythology, was condemned forever to roll a stone up a hill in Hades only to have it roll down again on nearing the top. In other words this act is nothing but a futile exercise and called a Sisyphean task after the king.
This story can appropriately be linked to government's afforestation programme launched routinely amid fanfare every year across the country which continues for a long time. The afforestation aims at boosting tree population through distributing plants and saplings among the people and educate them about the importance of forest resources. Undoubtedly it is a pious intention on the part of the government to enhance forest resources so vitally needed for the survival of the people in the backdrop of global warming and other serious environmental hazards threatening many countries of the world including Bangladesh.
In reality, what we witness everyday is far from sincere efforts to protect trees from destruction. Examples of callousness on the part of the authorities concerned to preserve trees and protect the resources from the greed of very influential quarters are too many to cite. This newspaper published a picture on trees beside the Election Commission (EC) Office at Agargaon in the city which are now on the verge of premature death. At a nearby place tree fair on a vast area is held every year by the forest department. How the authority can be so neglectful and unconcerned about the extinction of so many big trees near the EC office is a big question agitating public mind. Last week the FE published another picture which shows a section of unscrupulous people felled big healthy trees instead of worn out ones for carrying out development work at the site. This was done under the very nose of the administration. Invariably , in most cases, areas taken for development are full of big healthy trees. Careful planning for saving trees, we believe, can be taken for infrastructure development or other purposes. How long big trees can survive against this sort of calculated and systematic destruction is a matter of anybody's guess. This kind of activi -ty does not however include smugglers, bandits and other powerful people bent upon making money out of killing trees.
Another newspaper, quoting a survey report published on Friday, said about three thousand old and young trees ware cut in a single day in all the nine upazillas in Pabna district. The poverty-ridden people in the district town and rural areas often sell their fruit bearing trees to timber traders as a means of their survival. Not long ago, local people say, innumerable big trees were found on both sides of Pabna-Nagarbari and Pabna-Iswardi highways. But the thoroughfares are now devoid of any trees worth their names.
The survey report revealed that in the name of extension of highways hundreds of old valuable trees are killed and sold at nominal prices. The authorities concerned could easily save trees by changing the course of road alignment.
On the other hand powerful gangs are active to trade in valuable trees in the Sunderbans, Chitagong Hill Tracts(CHT) and in other places of the country. The depletion of forest resources is going on unabated at an alarming rate. We urge the authority to stop felling of trees and think twice before the development projects are undertaken to avoid destruction of forest.
Let us shun Sisyphean task. (The writer is Consultant Editor of the FE. He can be reached at e-mail: khalilbdh@gmail.com)