Pondicherry University Launches Tree Plantation Drive to Restore Cyclone Damage.
The Pondicherry University launched a mass tree plantation programme on January 3 at its Silver Jubilee Campus to restore the green cover lost due to Cyclone Fengal. The cyclone had last year uprooted 104 trees at the campus, which prompted this environmental restoration exercise. As many as 1,040 saplings were planted in the event in a long term dedicated commitment towards restoring and enriching the green cover of the university.
Event Details and Participation
The event was inaugurated by K. Kailashnathan, Chief Rector of the university and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. In his speech during the event, Kailashnathan said, “Afforestation is an important step towards checking climate change, which increases man’s resilience towards natural disasters”.
PML Kalyanasundaram, MLA of Kalapet constituency and visited the campus with Vice Chancellor K. Tharanikkarasu, Pondicherry University. The students and youth were called to actively participate in any such collective effort in conserving the environment.
Other key government officials and university representatives present were Arulrajan, Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, Government of Puducherry. He discussed the afforestation that had to be brought in the region, bringing in the biodiversity, in curbing the effect of climate change.
Other dignitaries who attended are Mathimaran Natarajan, Special Officer for the green campus initiative in the university; Clement S. Lourdes, Director of Culture and Cultural Relations; Rajneesh Bhutani, Registrar (i/c); and M. Vijayakumar, University Librarian.
Revival of the Green Cover
The tree plantation drive was designed to replace the 104 trees that were lost during Cyclone Fengal and bring back ecological balance to the campus. Ten times the number of trees lost during Cyclone Fengal, amounting to 1,040 saplings, signifies a big stride toward long-term environmental sustainability for the university as part of the Green Campus initiative.
As the Vice Chancellor, K. Tharanikkarasu said, plantation drives bring glory to the concept of greening the university in terms of being an environment-friendly, more sustainable and beautiful campus, especially for students in the future period. Restoration itself has gone beyond merely a way of doing work as these have, in them, elements of environmental conservation.
Afforestation Need:
Underlining the broader significance of the initiatives, Arulrajan in his speech elaborated that, in fact, the process of afforestation has not only served as a means of compensation over the deforested area but also has been used for improvement in regional biodiversity and creating natural buffers in cases of extreme events.
Apart from plantation, such drives have motivated the youth to cultivate awareness among themselves concerning the sustainability dimensions.
Says PML Kalyanasundaram, “Himself, the high involvement of youths while restoring the environment becomes a promise of sustainable care toward the environment.” Involvement by Students and Faculties
Students, members of faculty, university staff as well as officers took active participation in planting saplings in the program. This program portrayed the collective responsibility of the people towards environmental conservation while creating a sense of community and responsibility among the participants.
Mathimaran Natarajan, special officer for the Green Campus initiative explained that filling in the lost trees is way beyond that for it is committed to a greener future. This program integrates ecological restoration with academic activities.
A Step Toward Sustainability
This plantation exercise is one among the activities pursued by Pondicherry University on its sustainability agenda. The university itself has been always in the leading position of Green Campus initiatives for renewable energy and water conservation management.
These will be a sustainable measure for the university and hence help other institutions in the region as well. Pondicherry University, with proactive measures toward environmental restoration, hopes to begin similar efforts all over the state and the country.
Conclusion
The tree plantation drive by Pondicherry University is an important step in the process of reversing the environmental damage caused by Cyclone Fengal. While doing so, the university has made a commitment to its act of restoring its green cover and the promotion of sustainability by planting 1,040 saplings.
Thus, such an initiative hereby calls out the important aspects of collaborative efforts in environmental conservation and underlines the role of educational institutions in integrating ecological restoration with academic goals.