District Collector launches afforestation drive on degraded forest land near Madukkarai
An afforestation drive was launched on 27 acres of degraded forest land at Pillayarpuram near Madukkarai in Coimbatore district, recently.
District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati inaugurated the drive that will be implemented by the Forest Department, ZF Wind Power Coimbatore Private Limited, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and Kovai Kulangal Padhukappu Amaippu (KKPA).
Funded by ZF
Power Coimbatore
Wind Pvt.
Ltd., and coordinated by KKPA, the drive is aimed at planting 27,000 saplings of native trees on 27 acres of land, which was given to the Forest Department years ago by a private company under compensatory afforestation scheme.
The site was selected with the permission of the Forest Department and the project is implemented in association with Mattathukkad Village Forest Council.
Invasive and nonnative varieties of flora in the area will be removed completely for the afforestation drive. Saplings of native trees that support birds and animals in the region will be planted in the area.
KKPA coordinator R. Manikandan said the saplings would be irrigated using borewell and drip irrigation facilities. Contour bunds would be created in the land to capture rainwater within the area to enhance soil moisture. Two small ponds would be created in the lowlying area of the land to harvest the surplus water and store it.
Madukkarai forest range officer R. Arun Kumar said the voluntary organisations would take care of the maintenance of plings for three years.
R. Chandrasekaran, District Environmental Engineer, Coimbatore south; Deepak Pohekar, Executive Director and Plant Head; Sreenivas Naidu K., General Manager (HR); Sasikala Sam, General Manager (EHS); and Vivek C., Senior Engineer (EHS) from ZF Wind Power Coimbatore Private Limited, were present. Students from Sri Krishna Arts and Science College, Hindusthan College of Arts and Science, PSG College of Pharmacy volunteered for the afforestation drive. sa