UP gears up for 35-cr plantation push

Braving the scorching sun under a searing 41.9°C with 70% humidity on Friday, forester Noor Alam diligently watered rows of young saplings at the overcrowded Sheeshambagh nursery.

- Gaurav Saigal

LUCKNOW:

"We currently have 2.25 lakh saplings here—twice the nursery's capacity. The same is true across other nurseries, as these saplings will be transported to plantation sites over the next ten days," said Alam.

Sheeshambagh is just one of 1,901 nurseries across Uttar Pradesh brimming with greenery, as the state gears up for a massive plantation drive this July: 35 crore saplings are set to be planted—a staggering 600% increase from the 5 crore planted in 2016.

The state's commitment to greening took off in 2015, when it made headlines by planting 10 lakh saplings in just eight hours. Since then, annual numbers have steadily climbed, with a notable leap in 2018 when 11.77 crore saplings were planted.

This year's plantation drive, which is slated to take place during the plantation week starting from July 1 to July 7, reflects changes made over the past years in process and technology, and the growth in the number of saplings planted has also impacted the environment.

"Plantation has had a major impact on the state's ecology. Sustained growth in the number of saplings has not only increased green cover, but other indicators too have gone up," said Deepak Kumar, the state's nodal officer for plantation.

"UP is ready for its annual plantation drive. Nurseries and the transportation of saplings are all planned," said Arun K Saxena, forest, environment and climate change minister, UP.

Across the state, there are over 2 lakh plantation sites where a total of over 35 crore saplings will be planted.