BMC to plant 35,000 saplings across city
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Bhubaneswar: In a bid to boost green cover, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently launched an avenue plantation, targeting the planting of 35,000 saplings across 265 identified locations in the city.
The civic body has already dug pits at these sites. "We have dug the pits and started planting saplings in areas like Ashok Nagar, Janpath, Master Canteen, and Hatiasuni new road near the Salia Sahi slum, where green cover is sparse," said BMC deputy commissioner Kajal Pradhan.
According to a report by iForest, a private organisation, Salia Sahi — comprising wards 20, 21, and 26 — has the least green cover in the city. Five other wards (27, 38, 41, 57, and 61) also fall short of the WHO-recommended green cover per person.
BMC has sourced trees resilient to wind and cyclones from forest department nurseries. Salia Sahi experiences extreme heat due to factors such as corrugated sheet roofs and low vegetation, the report said. The civic body aims to ensure a 5:1 survival ratio — five saplings surviving for every one lost over the next five years.
Last year, the BMC introduced Miyawaki plantations at five sites and recorded an 80% survival rate. "Heat reduction measures are underway, and we plan to introduce the green roof concept in the city, though a strategy is still being developed," said a BMC environment officer.
The Miyawaki method involves planting herbs, shrubs, and trees in dense clusters, with less than one foot between plants, to create quick green cover.
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