Green Mangaluru to plant 10K saplings

With the launch of the Green Mangaluru Programme, the city took steps to adopt the green thumb.

The launch was organised on Saturday at the Sanghaniketana Hall.

MLA D Vedavyas Kamath, who spoke on the occasion, said, “The green cover is reducing over the years. In 2011, the cover was 21%, now it has reduced to 18%. In some wards, it is less than 2%. While developing Mangaluru into a Smart City, we need to keep in mind that we also need a Green Mangaluru. To be mindful of the greenery and create a beautiful society to live in is what we should aim for.”

‘Too much, too little’

The legislator added, “The two problems that I have witnessed in Mangaluru is either that too much rain destroys the flora fauna or that there is a water crisis. This year, Mangaluru witnessed water shortage due to deficit pre-monsoon shower. We need to grow trees to replenish the water table. Rainwater harvesting must be made compulsory to improve the water table.”

Kamath stressed, “It is imperative that we increase the green cover over the next five years and also ban the use of plastic.”

The legislator said that 3,000 saplings would soon be planted in three to four wards by students.

“Teachers will oversee the procedure to ensure it is carried out in a planned and systematic manner, with digging and planting. The mission is to plant 10,000 saplings, with the rest of the saplings to be distributed at other wards later,” he added.

Floods and deficit

M B Puranik, who is chairperson of Sharada Vidyalaya, said, “Last year, we witnessed heavy rain and floods in Kerala and Madikeri. This year, in contrast, we are witnessing deficit rainfall due to global warming. Growing trees helps increase the oxygen content in the atmosphere and humus in the soil. It also prevents soil erosion.”

Range Forest Officer (RFO) P Sridhar said, “We need to not just respect our teachers or the institutions we study in but also our countries. There is enough room in Mangaluru to plant saplings, but one needs to make room in the mind to grow a tree. Remove the negativity regarding the work involved in planting saplings. Planting some saplings is a more effective exercise than even a walk.”

D B Mehta, president of Credai, said, “The concept of ‘Green Mangaluru’ is seemingly a paradox in this city, since the green coverage used to be incredibly high. Now, however, when you look at the aerial view of the city, the cover is scarce. Worldwide too, it has reduced by 40%.”

Carbon footprint

Speaking further, he said that several cities are facing temperature rise they never saw before.

“In Mangaluru too, the temperature is rising. We need to try and reduce our carbon footprint in our day-to-day activities as a carbon footprint leads to more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Using less synthetic fires as well as reducing the use of air conditioning and of private transport are some ways to decrease our carbon footprint,” Mehta explained.

“People usually blame builders for deforestation, but this is a wrong notion, as housing is a basic necessity and the demand grows everyday. Every time a tree is cut to build something, however, it is mandated to plant three in place of it. This is where builders are failing,” he stressed.

Educating everyone

The India Green Building Council is starting a drive to educate not only builders but people in every field and department to conserve water and electricity and also to reduce their carbon footprint, he stated.

Dr Vaman Shenoy, president of the Green Mangaluru Programme, said, “Global warming is a highly discussed issue and it is the collective responsibility of citizens of the world to help deal with this situation. It has been our duty to conserve Nature since thousands of years. We have a responsibility of preserving it for the generations to come. We must unite and carry out this task right now. Our attempt to conserve Nature must start from Mangaluru.”