IN A novel initiative, a group of nature enthusiasts has planted over 30,000 trees on a barren hilly area in Maharashtra’s drought-prone Latur district over the last four years and transformed it into a lush green forest. The area’s tehsildar (revenue officer), Dr Shivanand Bidwe, lauded the effort and said the local administration will extend its support to the drive. The hill, coming under the forest department’s jurisidiction, is located near Ramwadi village, about 45 km from Latur district headquarters. Since 2018, nature lovers, under the banner of ‘Sahyadri Devrai’, an NGO run by noted actor Sayaji Shinde, planted trees on about 25 hectare land of the barren hilly area in Balaghat range of Chakur tehshil in the district.

 

“Environmentalists were inspired to take up the cause after Shinde visited Latur in 2018 to see a 400-year-old huge banyan tree at Zari (Khurd) village of Chakur tehsil and conducted a workshop under that tree,” the NGO’s Latur district coordinator, Suparn Jagtap, told PTI. The organisation roped-in people from various fields, including students, teachers, doctors and farmers. They would visit the place every week, indulge in activities like physical exercises and hold discussions on relevant social topics while planting the trees. They planted more than 35,000 trees of around 60 varieties, including banyan, neem and pipal, on the hilly area and around 30,000 of these trees have survived, Jagtap said. To ensure water supply for the survival of these trees, the volunteers adopted the ‘pani adwa, pani jirwa’ system by digging several trenches on the hill slope from top to bottom, he said.

 

“Actor Sayaji Shinde launched this movement with an aim to motivate people to protect the environment. People should come forward to protect the environment and create awareness about it in society,” the organisation’s volunteer, Bhim Dungave, said. Local environmentalist and team member Shivshankar Chapule said cutting down of trees in several areas has led to a decline in the population of various bird species. Earlier, birds used to eat the harmful insects who destroy crops. But, now with the bird population dwindling, farmers spray pesticides and chemicals to save their crops, but this in-turn affects human beings and their life span, he said.

 

“Therefore, we decided to turn this hill into a forest and create awareness about nature conservation in society,” he added. Chakur tehsildar Bidwe appreciated the organisation’s tree plantation campaign on 25 hectare of the hill area. “Instead of planting foreign species, they planted indigenous trees, helping in the conservation of nature. We will also co-operate in their drive,” he said. Bidwe also conveyed District Collector Prithviraj B P’s appreciation for the tree plantation drive.