Yi Trichy and Holy Cross College have embarked on the task of clearing prosopis juliflora and desilting ponds on an expanse of 23 acres surrounding the lake at Thaluthalpatty village in Mannachanallur block in the district, for creating a green cover.
The social forestry activity envisages raising of 450 trees of 11 varieties in three acres, and planting 1,000 palm tree seeds along the embankment of the waterbody.
Ketan Vora, Chair, Young Indians Trichy Chapter, said the focus was to improve the lives of the rural people and to see empowerment of women and youth through government interventions.
Training on entrepreneurship will be conducted and awareness programmes on various issues including health, sanitation (Swachh Bharath) and education will be jointly carried out by the Yi and Holy Cross college, he said.
To begin with, the two entities have undertaken desiltation of the waterbody. The planting of saplings will be carried out in the next phase.
In all, 1,000 saplings of neem, pungai, naval, tamarind and other varieties will be planted, besides sowing 1,000 palm seeds, K. Gopinath, Chair, Climate Change Vertical, Young Indians, Trichy Chapter, said.
The greening activity was launched recently in the village in the presence of the Thaluthalpatty panchayat president V. Satto, Principal of Holy Cross College Rev. Sr. Christina Bridget; and Dean of Extension Sujatha Illongovan.
Besides Thaluthalapatty, the other villages under the ambit of the college's extension wing RESCAPES (Rural Enrichment through Students Community Action and Participation for Environmental Sustainability) comprise Azhagiyamanvalam, Kovathakudi, Sirupathur, Thiruvasi, Thathamangalam, Kariyamanickam, S. Ayampalayam, Thirupanjalee, Ayikudi, and Valaiyur.