Plantation and donation drives across Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam: With Vizag losing most of its green cover due to cyclone Hudhud, private companies, voluntary organisations and well-known individuals have unleashed overzealous sapling plantation and donation drives across the city.

Some such sapling plantation schemes include ‘Let’s Green Vizag’ which promises planting one lakh saplings, alumni network of Gitam University which plans to plant the same number of sapling and a sapling donation drive by a well-known mall in the city which witnessed huge participation.

However, while such moves might seem a responsible drive by Vizag’s citizenry, it may prove disastrous for the city in the long run as no scientific approach is being followed in such drives.

Urban forestry and horticulture department authorities have no control over these sapling plantation and donation drives.

Among uprooted trees most of the species were those which cannot stand high speed winds, like Gulmohar and Bauhinia. Unfortuna-tely, most of the saplings being distributed in the city and planted in high numbers post cyclone Hudhud are such weak tree species. There is no coordination with the urban forestry or horticulture department in identifying hard wood tree species like Neem, Acacia, Indian Beech and Astonia scholaris which have been observed to withstand gusty winds which lash coastal cities like Vizag.

However, Vizag’s greenery is already bouncing back. The recent change in weather along with a few showers has proved a boon for green cover of Vizag as at many areas across the city new leaves can be seen sprouting on trees which were left totally ravaged and leafless by the cyclone.

Spots like Kailasagiri hill, Tenneti park and VUDA park, which resembled grave yards of trees can be seen gradually developing green cover since the past few days.