Saplings planted at Vellalore dump yard

M. Prathap launched a drive to plant saplings at Vellalore, with SESBL Foundation. 150 saplings were planted, with 100 varieties to be planted in the coming days. 1.5 lakh trees will cover the 52 acres of reclaimed land. Commissioner urged college students to join the green mission and protect the environment. Biomining will study the current land condition.

Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner M. Prathap launched a drive on Sunday to plant saplings at Vellalore, jointly with SESBL Foundation.

A press release said as part of the Reforestation Mission by the civic body, over 150 saplings were planted at the Vellalore compost yard. These will form a green canopy at the entrance of the compost yard in the next eight to 10 months. The SESBL Foundation will create a social forestry on 52 acres of reclaimed land at the dump yard. Some of the varieties to be planted are Thespesia populnea (Poovarasu), Terminalia catappa (Badam), Mimusops elengi (Magizham) and Syzygium cumini (Naaval).

The Foundation plans to plant 100 varieties of trees in the coming days. It will cover the 52 acres of reclaimed land with nearly 1.5 lakh trees. The Commissioner urged college students to be part of the green mission of the Foundation. The youth volunteer service will educate them and guide them to protect the environment and create a green ecosystem in the city, he said.

A source in the organisation had told The Hindu earlier that the 52 acres would be retrieved after biomining. Since the soil and water in the location were highly acidic and polluted, it would study the current land condition and how it was about five decades back.