Title - GREEN altogether

Until quite recently, this was barren land, with tonnes of concrete waste dumped in it. Today, 25 acres of this land belonging to the Railways in Podanur hold about 2,000 18-month-old saplings. They stand tall on the reclaimed area. This initiative to create an urban lung space has been taken by the Railways, Siruthuli, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions and Pricol. The saplings were supplied by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.Shortly, another 1,000 saplings will be planted. Local varieties have been given preference — pungan, vaagai, iyal vaagai, neermarudhu, karumarudhu, vembu, kumil and naval. Some mahogany and sorgam have been planted too. And, in a first, all the trees are fed using drip irrigation.The initiative was launched on June 29, 2012, but work started long before that. Over three months, the rubble on the land, 700 mts from the Podanur bus stop, was cleared and used to create a boundary. Two tonnes of bio manure was mixed into the hard soil to enable it to nourish plants. Over 500 students drawn from schools and colleges helped plant the saplings.The fledging plants have been tied to a stick of naanal, a reed known for its ability to bend and not break. This protects them from the harsh winds that lash this area.To ensure the plants survive, members from Siruthuli requested locals to avoid using the land as a thoroughfare. Most have obliged.  Neelaveni and Kalaivani, who live in a cluster of houses around this plot, say they have made changes to their regular route, though it means some extra walking, as they have heard a new ‘forest’ is going to come up here. A local lady comes in at seven every morning to prevent grazing.

Three years from now, it is expected that the 3,000 saplings will help change the micro-climate in this area, which is said to have been a golf course during the days of the Raj. “There will be more shade, more rain…In 10 years, this place will look and feel different,” says K. Mylswami, project coordinator, Siruthuli.

Despite the lack of rains, there is a 100 per cent survival rate at the site.

This is where the drip irrigation helped. ELGI gave the drip irrigation system at a subsidised rate and the Railways allowed use of water from a tank nearby. For the Railways, this was a golden opportunity to give back to society and Nature.

According to Sujatha Jayaraj, Divisional Railway Manger, Salem: “We wanted to use this land in a better manner. Luckily, Siruthuli was working on similar lines and we joined hands.

” Funds for the project were made available locally.

Vanitha Mohan, managing trustee, Siruthuli, says the cost of raising 3,000 saplings for three years works out to Rs. 10,00,000 — that’s about Rs. 400 for a tree. She says this model of developing concentrated lung spaces will work better because the land is undisturbed.

For instance, in Ramnagar, Siruthuli raised 300 trees. Locals and children from Suburban school watered them every day. But, many grown trees were felled when the road was dug up for drainage work, Vanitha says. That’s when they looked at the possibility of planting on vacant land. “Just imagine the change in the micro-climate when you have a patch of green!” she says.

Children are also to be made stake-holders in the venture. Those who take part in the weekly ‘Sittukaludan Siruthuli’ will be taken to the site, where they can “help de-weed, spend time with plants and grow with them”, says Vanitha.

For Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions, which has given 2,000 saplings, this was a wonderful Corporate Social Responsibility opportunity. Says Venugopal. R. vice-president (commercial and centre head), Coimbatore: “This is our first afforestation project on a large scale and we are excited. Finding reliable partners is a challenge...but with Siruthuli, we are assured of continuity of the project.

Also, as a company we are eager to see Coimbatore get greener.”Pricol contributed 1,000 saplings as part of a project where suppliers of Hero Moto Corp were told to help green the environment, says Vanitha, also vice-chairman, Pricol.

She adds: “All the corporates want is a proper plan before committing themselves to a project such as this. Once that is in place, you can expect more such lung spaces.”