: Engineer Creates 20 Mini Forests in Odisha Villages, Plants 1 Lakh Trees #IndiaNEWS #Environment Amresh Samant is an electrical engineer at the Paradip Port Trust in the Jagatsinghpur district of

Engineer Creates 20 Mini Forests in Odisha Villages, Plants 1 Lakh Trees #IndiaNEWS #Environment
Amresh Samant is an electrical engineer at the Paradip Port Trust in the Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha. But during weekends and holidays, the 46-year-old man strives to increase the green cover in his region.
Born and raised in Biswali village which is located in the coastal part of the state, Amresh’s work for the environment stems from the wrath of cyclones and storms that he witnessed over the years. He was pained to see the damage that came with natural disasters. To improve the deteriorating environmental conditions, he formed an NGO called Baba Balunkeswar Gramya Bikash Parisada to plant trees.
“There are at least two cyclones in a year in Odisha. The recent cyclones like Fani, Amphan, Phyan and others lead to floods, disrupt human lives while also damaging the environment. There is also tree-cutting in the remote parts of the villages. Realising the rapid loss of green cover, I decided to plant trees,??? he says.
The persistent efforts helped to create “mini forests??? across 20 villages of the district. Since he first started, many villagers have also joined and contributed to this cause.
100 Volunteers, 500 Varieties, 1 Lakh Trees
Amresh watering plants in one of the mini forests.
Speaking to The Better India Amresh says that he started planting trees in 1995 along the banks of rivers and lakes. “We also did row plantations along the sides of the roads and other public spaces. The volunteers helped to maintain the trees. However, as the cyclones hit the coast, the trees were uprooted. I learned that such isolated plantations would not help the trees withstand harsh weather conditions. The environmental damage was more than the number of trees getting planted,??? he adds.
Hence, in 2015, Amresh decided to start massive tree plantation drives by introducing a concept called — gramya jungle, meaning ‘a rural forest’. “We decided to use barren land and unused spaces to create clusters of trees in surrounding villages. However, the villagers opposed the move saying there was no need to give away land for tree plantation. They failed to understand the need to protect the environment which would in turn help reduce the levels of pollution,??? he says.
Amresh says that he conducted special drives and awareness programmes among villagers to explain the importance of environmental conservation. The villagerp?&HZ[??]??[??Y[?Z]???K?[?HY?YY?YX?]H[?X?H??????YH[?][????[??H[?H[???L??[?Y??[??Y[??????Z?HY???^X?]?H[?Y
L??Y]Y???]]?H?Y???X]H
L?K??????Y?[?XX??[Y?K?

Stock Market NEWS Best intraday tips Intraday Stocks below 100