For long, the Vijayapura district in Karnataka was known as an arid region with brutal summers. But now, with collective efforts from the state government, NGOs, and locals, the area is slowly turning into a green paradise.
There were two things going for it: political will and push from people.
Karnataka’s large and medium industries and infrastructure minister, MB Patil, when he was the irrigation and water resources minister, did two things that set the ball rolling in 2015.
He got the irrigation department to fill the tanks and lakes in the district with water and the forest department to hand out saplings to people at the same time, ensuring a higher survival rate for the plants.
Meanwhile, NGOs began motivating people to contribute to the ‘1 crore plants in five years’ dream, aka ‘Koti Vruksha Abhiyan’.
In less than ten years, nature lovers have much going for them in Vijayapura. The district is now home to one of the largest urban forest plantations—over 600 acres planted with 60,000 and odd native species of trees. In all, over 1.30 crore saplings have already been planted, and with drip irrigation powered by solar, it was possible to achieve a 98% survival rate for plants, according to the Society for Protection of Plants and Animals (SPPA), an NGO that oversaw the effort.
The question worth asking this Earth Day: Can Vijayapura be replicated in other parts of Karnataka, perhaps even other parts of India? “It is a monumental task, but it can be and should be replicated,” said Patil in an exclusive interview with PTI.
According to him, the biggest problem is that, typically, in a government-run project, various departments work independently, even if they have a common goal.
“But it has to be a coordinated effort. If you ask me, a project like this can be a success if a deputy commissioner, CEO of district panchayat and the forest department get involved and talk to one another,” added Patil.
Patil's son Dhruv, a professional wildlife photographer and president of the NGO SPPA, worked with her father to provide saplings to farmers. The plan did not work initially, but many lessons were learned. Their initiative took off when they started giving red sandalwood, mango, and other fruiting tree saplings to the farmers. Then, they started coming back for more.
Some were more enthusiastic than others -- a lady from a gram panchayat planted nearly 5,000 saplings and cared for them.
The project's results have exceeded all expectations. Two weeks ago, when Karnataka was facing extreme heat, Vijayapura witnessed its first showers of the season. Moreover, more than 185 species of birds in these block plantations have been documented in this area, with more migratory birds flocking to Vijayapura.
Follow us
