Close to 5,000 saplings planted on Kallankadu forest growing steadily
About 5,000 saplings which were planted at Kallankadu forest block in Rameswaram island in the last rainy season under the Green Tamil Nadu Mission Forest Department have witnessed a steady growth owing to the water storage mechanisms and utilisation of local people for maintenance.
As the Prosopis juliflora (Seemai Karuvelam) trees are invasive species, a removal drive has become a buzz word in the entire State. The vacant lands left after the removal of the invasive plants were thought to be reused for increasing the forest cover, said S. Hemalatha, District Forest Officer, Ramanathapuram.
More than any other district, the excess growth of invasive species in Ramanathapuram district - reeling under an acute water shortage for several years - has become the major reason for the dehydration observed in the land, she added.
By removing Prosopis juliflora and planting the native species on the land, the groundwater recharge would significantly improve in addition to improving the biodiversity of the area, she noted.
'While the removal of the species was carried out by many districts, the planting of saplings on the barren land was an initiative taken by the forest department under the Green Tamil Nadu Mission,' Ms. Hemalatha observed.
Speaking about the earmarked area for ecological reforestation at Kallankadu main forest block in Rameswaram island, she said that on the 50 hectares, which was found with a dense growth of Prosopis juliflora, and after clearance with the assistance of Mangadu village women, about 5,000 native variety species were planted in the area.
'As the saplings were grown to a certain stage for about one year in a nursery, the growth and adaptation of the plants would be better when transformed to the land,' she noted.
On water supply to the plants, Ms. Hemalatha said that many mini wells were kept ready in the area to store rainwater and once the water supply through the rain stops, the stored water would be utilised for the plants.
With a remuneration, the nearby village women were given the responsibility to water and maintain the plants till the plants reached a certain height, she said.
In addition, the women would also be monitoring the regrowth of Prosopis juliflora and regularly clearing them, she added.
In a similar way, on 22 hectares of land from Rameswaram to Danushkodi, under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) mechanism, about 7,000 saplings were planted in a similar way, she stated.
In Sayalkudi too, on 7 hectares of land, 2,000 saplings had been planted, she added.
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