A village panchayat in Tiruvallur district nurtures 15-acre grove

R. Divakaran, the Morai panchayat president, launched the project in 2022. The plantation also provides employment to several women through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme

Just as every drop contributes to an ocean, every tree plays an essential role in an ecosystem as the world continues to get warmer. A village panchayat in Villivakkam block, Tiruvallur district, has taken the initiative to nurture a 15-acre area, planting nearly 20,000 trees while also providing employment to several women.

The Morai Panchayat includes 12 villages, including Morai, Bangarampet, Veerapuram, MGR Nagar, and Anna Nagar. R. Divakaran, who has served as the panchayat president since 2020 after winning as an independent candidate, launched a tree-planting project on a small plot of land in 2022.

“We contacted the Collector and other officials to show them the land,” Mr. Divakaran says. The project started with funds from the General Basic Grant for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, which also paid for a borewell and fencing. Over time, the project expanded to cover 15 acres, with nearly 20,000 trees planted, mostly native species such as poovarasu, marutham, arasamaram, and aalamaram. They also planted fruit trees such as mango, guava, chikoo, jackfruit, and amla. There is also a herb garden within the grove.

“At first, we sourced all our seedlings from outside. Then we realised we could start our own nursery. We set it up a year ago, and have about 8,000 saplings now. We use them ourselves and also distribute them to some nearby villages,” Mr. Divakaran says.

The plantation also employs women from nearby villages under the the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. Over 150 women come to work at the site, including the nursery, every day. Devi, 70, one of the workers, says: “Along with my old-age pension, this keeps me going since I don’t have financial support from my family.”

Advitya Thapa, the lead of Project Alaiyathi-A Million Mangroves Initiative, which focuses on mangrove planting around Pulicat, recently planted some palmyra palm saplings on the Morai site in collaboration with the Green Tamil Nadu Mission. 

“What is unique about Morai panchayat is the native tree grove they have planted and maintained on their own initiative, with help from various government schemes and corporate social responsibility funds at their disposal. It is unlike anything we have come across, and is being implemented and managed extremely well,” Mr. Thapa says.

The plantation is already showing signs of having a positive impact on the local environment, as one of the workers mentions spotting animals including the Indian grey mongoose, black-naped hare, wild boar, and jungle cat in the area. The panchayat head believes that in a few years, the trees will attract various bird species.

Published - October 27, 2024 09:51 pm IST