Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, Apr 30: Miyawaki forests are grown throughout the city in order to keep the city cooler during the summer season. Mangaluru City Corporation, Mangaluru Urban Development Authority and social organizations are taking active part in this project.
Forest will come up on 70 cents land near KPT in the city. As many as 2,000 saplings will be planted here. Biocon is giving financial help. The Forest department is also cooperating for urban forest development.
Many interested people have grouped together under the umbrella ‘Navainooru’. The aim of this group is to plant more than 500 plants in a year, fencing it and growing it by watering daily. Around 2,500 saplings are already planted from Nanthoor to Someshwar.
“Ramakrishna Math has already planted more than 230 saplings on four cents of land near the zilla panchayat office in 2019. Local fruit plants like jackfruit, mango and blueberry are given more importance. Ramakrishna Math has started a city forest campaign in their premises also. A person has promised to give his private land to grow city forest,” said Ekagamyananda Swamiji of Ramakrishna Math.
The plants that were grown seven years ago at Nandigudda and Brahma Samaj crematoriums are independent now. A total of 1,058 plants are grown near the highway at Padil. The Miyawaki forests will be grown in government school campuses also in order to instill environmental concern in children. As many as 4,000 plants are already grown in government school campuses.
Ekagamyananda Swamiji said, “The Miyawaki forest experiment has given fruit at three spots in the city. In the future, there is a plan to grow one lac trees at around 100 spots in the city. We are confident that the public will cooperate in this project.”
“Space is identified at 38 spots in the city in order to grow city forest. If we get CSR funds from corporate companies this can be implemented faster. Forest department will supply plants for growing Miyawaki forests,” said Dr Y Dinesh Kumar, deputy conservation officer of the forest department.