Planting of saplings, distribution of plants, and a lake clean-up drive marked World Environment Day celebrations in Mysuru on Tuesday.
The Forest Department’s drive of planting 10.26 lakh saplings in the district got off to a start with Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar planting a sapling here on the Outer Ring Road to begin the campaign of expanding tree cover this monsoon.
This year, many NGOs volunteered to distribute saplings to the public for free to encourage people to contribute to expanding green cover. These NGOs bought saplings from nurseries and distributed them to the public with an appeal to plant and nurture them at least for a few years.
Kanasu Foundation, an NGO, gave away saplings to tourists at the Mysuru palace.
An NGO founded by educationist and social activist H.V. Rajeev distributed saplings at a couple of places, including Kuvempunagar. Many morning walkers took the saplings with a promise to plant and look after them. A representative of the NGO said they were distributing over 1,000 saplings.
In schools and colleges too, many saplings were planted. Some schools had organised essay writing competitions on environment, climate change and other issues.
Around 200 employees of N.R. Group, along with Suresh M R, the group’s Chief Operating Officer, set out on a clean up drive to unclog the feeder canal of the Kukkarahalli Lake to mark the World Environment Day. The group has also proposed to distribute 10,000 saplings to farmers and villagers in the region.
Bird and fish deaths
“Mysuru is home to four different lakes which are integral part of city’s ecosystem. One of these is Kukkarahalli Lake, formerly home to 10,000-15,000 birds from 176 different species. Because of sewage and plastic waste entering the lake through the feeder canal, the number of birds visiting the lake has reduced to a mere 2,000. There have also been numerous reports of fish and bird deaths near the lake in past few years,” the group stated in a release.
During the drive, Mr. Suresh said, “It’s our moral responsibility to undo all the damage caused, not just at Kukkarahalli, but across the planet. We wish to imbibe the spirit of World Environment Day with this clean-up drive and in turn take a step closer to a sustainable future.”
The drive began at 3.30 p.m. and went on till 6 p.m. at the Senate Bhavan entrance in Manasa Gangotri. It is the first step in a yearlong movement, with commitments from various employees to devote the first Sunday of every month to similar initiatives in and around Mysuru.