Environmental experts believe climate change has taken its toll on the city of Karachi in Pakistan. Over the last decade, abnormal high temperatures have been recorded there. But one Karachi man has taken it upon himself to go to war against the rising temperatures. Our correspondent Danial Khan takes a closer look at his initiative.

Karachi is the largest and most populous city of Pakistan. In 1947, when it became the capital city of Pakistan, its population was about 450,000. But it rapidly grew with large influx of Muslim refugees after independence and today it stands over 24 million. The city's population continues to grow at about 5% every year, owing to its strong economic base.

Over the years, the city planners have been unable to cope with the unregulated and unplanned development, that has now transformed the city into a concrete jungle. Forests were cut down to make way for urbanization, and with the arrival of industrialization, the air quality depleted. And temperatures began to rise.

DANIAL KHAN KARACHI "Every year, hundreds of Karachi's residents die due to heatwave, the mercury goes as high as 48 degrees centigrade, experts say these high temperatures are exacerbated mainly by an absence of green space estimated to make just 7 percent of the urban area."

Predicting the challenging times ahead, Prime Minister Imran Khan initiated a massive tree plantation drive, in the north western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province it was called the "billion tree tsunami."

IMRAN KHAN PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER "I had this big ambition not only to start a massive plantation of trees, not only is it a question of climate change, and that's a serious problem Pakistan is facing but also our generations would not see the beauty we grew up with, watching these beautiful mountains, forests that are disappearing at an alarming rate. The second thing I want to do is to make these national parks and along with national parks, eco-tourism."

According to a World Bank report, Pakistan is one of the most urbanized countries in South Asia. Air pollution, not only damages the population's health and quality of life but contributes to environmental degradation. According to the report, the levels of sulfur dioxide and lead are many times higher than the WHO's air quality guidelines. Shahzad Qureshi, a resident of Karachi, is known by the locals as the "forest man"! Two years ago he began an initiative called "urban forest", with an aim to fight the ever-growing air pollution.

SHAHZAD QURESHI URBAN FOREST "It will bring the temperatures down considerably around the city, the air pollution will be better, because there is so much surface area in the way that we grow the forest that it captures a lot of pollutants in the air, they are natural filters automatically, it's 30 times more carbon dioxide sequestering by a Makawao forest because its extremely dense, it's 30 times more oxygen production, because you have 30 times more surface area of the leaf and it captures suspended particles in the air because of the leaf."

He adopted a public park from the local government for 5 years, with an intention to transform it into a small forest.

SHAHZAD QURESHI URBAN FOREST "I saw this technique, it's a Japanese methodology which can grow a forest anywhere, of native trees, without any help of fertilizers or chemicals."

Shahzad believes the project is a success, and it is evident in the growth of his plants. The money spent in realizing his dream was from his own pocket. He wants it to have a chain affect, and wants to make at least 25 urban forests across the city. But he is already facing backlash from the local government. Only recently, the park was closed down and the gates were locked. And the 5 year agreement was cancelled by the orders of Karachi metropolitan corporation.

SHAHZAD QURESHI URBAN FOREST "Initially they were supportive while we were creating the pilot, but once we took over, I don't know there has been resistance within the department. Couple of elements have been trying to get us out of this place for I don't know what reason. We are trying to create something while will last forever, I think that's probably not going down well with them."

With his project now at the mercy of harsh summer spell, Shahzad is worried the plants and saplings may not be able to survive without care. Though the decision of the local government has stunned him, but the forest man has not lost hope and he now looks towards his role model, the prime minister of Pakistan to rescue him and his project before its too late. Danial Khan, CGTN, Karachi.