Vellore Corporation to extend green cover through Miyawaki method

Over 1,000 saplings have been planted under Miyawaki method

A five-acre open plot at the foot of a hillock near the South police station here will become a thickly wooded area in the coming years as the Vellore Corporation has planted over 1,000 saplings of native species under the Miyawaki method of afforestation.

In the presence of Mayor Sujatha Anadhakumar, Vellore MP D. Kathir Anand planted in the open plot at Sarbanamedu. The civic body has been taking a series of initiatives, including the Miyawaki method, to increase the green cover in the city, especially in its congested neighbourhoods.

“The foothills have adequate government open land to try out this [Miyawaki] method. The model will be implemented in the congested residential areas,” Corporation Commissioner P. Ashok Kumar said.

The open plot near the South police station has a water filter bed of the Corporation. It supplies water to at least four wards under Zones 2 and 3 having around 40,000 residents in the thickly populated areas along the foothills. Fruit-bearing trees and native species such as ‘pungai’, ‘arasamaram’, neem, tamarind, jackfruit and banyan have been planted.

Officials say these forests are self-sustaining ecosystems that are cost- and resource-intensive only in the first two years. Soon, they will become shelters for birds, insects and small animals, creating a thriving ecosystem of their own. They will also help to bring down the heat in the rugged terrain of the city with no green cover. When the trees grow stronger, the space can also be used by walkers and joggers. In fact, more than 90,000 saplings have been planted by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) in the neighbouring Tirupattur district to create dense forests.