Rajahmundry: In a bid to boost oxygen levels and to enhance green cover across the city, around 1,000 trees are to be planted by the side of important roads and junctions by youngsters associated with voluntary agency Rajahmundry Rising under ‘Green Fix’ programme. They expressed concern over the construction of multi-storied buildings across the city by felling of trees and clearing green patches in several parts of the city as part of urbanisation. As a result, the level of air pollution has been rising as vehicular traffic and industrial units keep getting added.
The young volunteers intend to contribute their pocket money to purchase grown up trees aged from 2.5 to three years from Kadiam nurseries and plant them. The team members have divided the city into 50 zones based on certain criteria like lack of adequate green cover, important roads and junctions, viability for taking up plantation and their survivability. The areas whe-re the trees are to be pla-nted include J.N. Road, A.V. Appa Rao Road, RTC Complex Road, Paper Mill Road, Diwan Cheruvu, Kambhala Tank, ILTD Junction, Koruk-onda Road and others.
The team has selected several species of trees that are non-poisonous and give colourful flowers and shade and that can survive in temperature up to 50 degrees Celsius as the city witnesses such high temperature during summer at times. On an average, each tree costs between Rs 900 and Rs 2,500 depending on the variety, size and age in wholesale trade at the nurseries. The civic administration has assured to provide a drilling machine to dig up pits to plant the trees. The average height of each tree will be 20 feet.
The location for planting them has been done to ensure that the tall trees do not touch the overhead power transmission lines for safety of the people and livestock. The team has planted 73 trees earlier and wants to plant the remaining of the targeted 1,000 trees. Ground work for plantation like identification of spot, selection of varieties, mobilisation of funds and seeking help from civic authorities to spare their drilling machine, are over.
Rajahmundry Rising team leader Maturi Siddartha said, “We want to enhance green cover in the city by taking up plantation of grown up trees as their survivability is high and require less maintenance and pr-otection when compared to planting saplings. We are sure that the green cover enhances oxygen levels in the atmosphere and give good ambience to the local residents and visitors.”
