Youth Scatter 500 Seed Balls to Revive Margalla Hills

News Desk

Islamabad: The usually quiet Trail 5 of Margalla Hills National Park turned into a hub of youthful energy on Sunday as children, teachers, and volunteers rolled up their sleeves for a different kind of classroom—one under the trees.

The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), under the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, launched Hari Kahani Week with an interactive awareness and plantation drive that brought nature and people closer together.

What stood out was the active participation of students from Federal Government Girls Model School and Behbud English Medium School, Saidpur.

With nearly 100 students and teachers, the children didn’t just listen to lectures—they got their hands dirty by dispersing 500 seed balls, learning how to identify native tree species, and planting saplings as part of the prime minister’s Ek Beti Ek Shajar initiative.

For many of them, this was their first hands-on experience in conservation. “We usually read about climate change in textbooks, but here we actually learned how trees can help us fight it,” said one participating student, beaming while holding a sapling.

The event went beyond symbolic plantation. About 200 plants were given to participants to nurture in their own communities, turning the campaign into a ripple effect of greenery across Islamabad. Civil society volunteers joined the children, underlining how collective action, even at a local scale, can strengthen ecological resilience.

Officials from the Ministry of Climate Change, including Ms. Parveen Ejaz and Ms. Afra Sayab, highlighted that involving youth in such activities is critical. “Planting a tree is not just about greenery—it’s about ensuring a future where these children inherit a safer, healthier planet,” they emphasized.

With around 150 participants, Hari Kahani Week’s opening day became less about formal speeches and more about storytelling in action—where every seed ball scattered told a story of hope, and every sapling planted marked a promise for tomorrow.