Pirowal Forest: A Story of Neglect and Environmental Loss

Faisal Saleem

Khanewal: The 93-year-old artificial forest of Pirowal in Khanewal has the potential to augment the environment and grow into Pakistan’s largest artificial forest, but the area has been degraded from 19,299 acres of land to only 7,483 acres. With a few exceptions for good projects, however, this land is currently being transferred to different departments.

Origins of Pirowal Forest

In the early 1900s, the British government declared Pirowal a forest, initiating afforestation efforts in Changa Manga, Chichawatani, Pirowal, Lal Suhanra Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan to meet the steam engines’ fuel demand.

Prisoners were tasked with planting trees in Pirowal, located 12 kilometres from Khanewal. According to the Punjab Forest Department, 19,299 acres of land were allocated for this forest.

To facilitate forest growth, ‘Baildars’ and their families settled at six locations within the forest, maintaining four kanals (one bigha) of land each on daily wages. Additionally, six block officers, 16 forest guards, and support staff resided in the forest to ensure efficient operations.

Water supply relied on the minor canal of the Lower Bari Doab canal. The forest department established hostels, training schools for forest guards and block officers, and a rest house for state guests and government officials.

In 1986, Khanewal attained the status of a district. From 1987 to 1990, the ‘Improvement of Wildlife through Development of Habitat in Irrigated Forest Plantations of Punjab’ scheme led to the establishment of a wildlife park in Pirowal Forest, costing Rs 5.9 million. Presently, three development schemes focus on wildlife improvement, fisheries, and sericulture promotion.

Challenges Leading to Pirowal’s Decline

The Pirowal forest’s significance waned due to differences in the priorities of the changing governments, leading to its gradual decline.

In 1992, the baildars responsible for the forest’s growth were relieved of their duties. Instead, the government allocated residential plots to each baildar, establishing a colony named ‘Jinnah Abaadi’ on one side of the forest.

Beginning in 1970 until 2006, parcels of land from Pirowal Forest were transferred to various entities. The Pakistan Army received 5,000 acres, while the Army Welfare Trust obtained another 5,000 acres.

Additionally, 1,816 acres were allocated to Kachakhoh Cantonment, 36 acres to the Wildlife Department, 46 acres to the Fisheries Department, and 25 acres for sericulture purposes, involving the promotion of mulberry trees acquired from the Forest Department. Furthermore, 947 acres of land remain uncultivable or unusable by the Forest Department due to security concerns.

Consequently, although the recorded forest area stands at 7,483 acres, in reality, it only amounts to 6,429 acres.

A canal was constructed behind the forest for the growth of the Pirowal forest, which was supplied with water from the Lower Bari Doab Canal, but due to successive subdivisions and failed demarcations of the land, the area remaining with the Forest Department was left with a shortage of water due to the geographical status of the area. 

Access to water in the area under the department of forest was possible with the help of reverse flow, but it was a difficult and expensive project, and the construction of the new canal was also impossible due to an insufficient budget.

The main reasons for this decline are a lack of staff, constant theft of wood in the forest, ineffective laws, and political support for the thieves to make the wood extinct in the forest.

Khanewal Police Spokesman Chaudhary Imran said that the Pirowal forest is included in the limits of Sadar Police Station Khnewal, Makhdoompur Police Station, and Kachakhoha Police Station.

Due to departmental interest and the support of the police, 26 acres of forest land adjacent to 10/A-H have also been evacuated, which had been occupied by local residents for decades.

This operation continued for four days, during which a large area of forest was cleared in 2021 with the support of the district administration and police. 

Similarly, due to the interest of the Forest Department, forest wood has also been recovered from the nearby villages of the forest, and investigations are going on against the named thieves, while FIRs have been lodged against these thieves under Section 382 of the Forestry Act, so after proving the crime, the accused can be punished with up to 10 years imprisonment and discourage the heinous crime.

Efforts to Revitalise

Under the Green Pakistan Initiative in Pirowal, the subsidiary company of the Army Welfare Trust, ‘FonGrow’, has commenced corporate farming on 2250 acres of land allocated to the Army Welfare Trust this year.

Additionally, another 2,250 acres of land are slated for cultivation in the near future under the same project.

Notably, the Lahore High Court rendered a significant decision this year concerning the land acquired by the Army for corporate farming. A case was brought before the court, resulting in a 134-page decision issued in June.

The ruling not only barred the Army from engaging in corporate farming, citing constitutional and legal limitations, but also clarified that the Army lacks the mandate for corporate farming.

Regarding the Army’s request to utilise the acquired areas for corporate farming, it was asserted that the land was deemed inefficient and barren, contrary to its actual cultivable and irrigated nature.

Advocate Arbab Jahangir Edhi stated that the forest was cut down and the area allotted to the forces was a violation of environmental policies, even if it was for agricultural purposes.

But this initiative of the Army Welfare Trust is welcome to include this area in corporate farming, which will improve the overall impression and utilisation of the land, he added.

Social Worker Jahangir Edhi further demanded that the other forest land used by the sub-sections of the forces should also be brought under the influence of corporate farming, while the agency should further improve the availability of water here for forest growth. So that the forest can regain its lost identity.

Lodhran Pilot Project Environment Protection Consultant Rabail Raza said, regarding deforestation, that forests are nothing less than a blessing in hot plains.

Because the temperature of the area where there will be a forest will be 5 to 7 degrees lower than other areas, the land cleared and used for agricultural purposes is fine only to the extent that no industry has been set up there.

State Development Organisation (SDO) Pirowal Forest Mirza Sabir informed us that currently, there are trees on 30 percent of the 7,483 acres of land in Pirowal Forest; the exact number of trees is difficult to estimate.

Among these trees are Acacia, Mulberry, Black Plum, Rosewood, and Eucalyptus trees.

According to a news report, there were 40,000 trees in the forest in 2018, a number that has not been confirmed or denied by the current staff.

Moreover, there are 14 beats (divisions) of Pirowal Forest, in which 10 forest guards are working instead of 14 forest guards, and 2 block officers are working instead of 4 block officers.

During the previous administration, a plantation campaign saw the planting of 20,000 trees in 2021, showcasing the district administration’s commitment to the Pirowal forest. However, due to budget constraints, no plantation drives have occurred in the past two years, leaving the forest without active growth initiatives.

Former Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Shahida Hayat Malika suggests that for the Pirowal forest to become more profitable, attention should be given to planting sapwood trees like Acacia and Rosewood, which can yield valuable wood.

Currently, the lack of adequate water is hindering tree growth, so establishing permanent irrigation from a nearby canal could significantly improve the situation.

Alternatively, focusing on tree species that thrive with minimal water or underground sources could also be beneficial.

In this regard, Mirza Sabir further said that Changa Manga, spanning 12,515 acres, and Chichawatani forests, covering 5,000 acres, are in excellent condition thanks to sufficient budget allocation and staff presence.

These forests boast strict control over timber production and theft prevention measures.

Despite its intrinsic value, Pirowal forest suffers from ineffective planning, inadequate facilities and staffing, insufficient authority, and political interference leading to timber theft.

As a result, it is experiencing a decline in effectiveness and area coverage. Improvements such as strategic planning, better facilities, increased staffing, and enhanced authority could revitalise Pirowal Forest and restore its effectiveness.

Faisal Saleem is a freelance journalist from Khanewal, Punjab.  He writes on politics, social, and climate change related issues.  He can be accessed at iamhere020@gmail.com

All information and facts provided are the sole responsibility of the writer.