Shanthi Sthal in Chengannur: A garbage dump that metamorphosed into a lush mini-forest

Shanthi Sthal in Chengannur: A garbage dump that metamorphosed into a lush mini-forest

Perambulating the lush green Shanthi Sthal on a quiet corner of the 22-acre Christian College campus at Chengannur in Alappuzha district, it is hard to imagine that the place was once a stinking garbage dumping ground.

Today, it resembles a teeming forest ecosystem with trees, plants, small mammals, snakes and chirping birds. Its transformation, which began almost a decade ago, is a source of pride for Biji Abraham, an assistant professor of Economics at Christian College, and the institution’s biodiversity club.

The mini-forest on 15 cents of land is home to 176 trees and plants of 116 species, including several rare, endangered and threatened ones.

“It had become a dead plot after several feet of earth was removed during the construction of the college ground. The people from outside dumped legacy waste there for several years. The dump was close to the women’s hostel and the stench became unbearable. We decided to transform it into a biodiversity garden in 2013 under the Biodiversity Conservation Project of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board,” says Mr. Abraham, in-charge of the Christian College Biodiversity Club.

Truckloads of waste were removed with the help of Chengannur municipality. Later, the land was prepared using earthmovers. In the initial year, 74 plants with medicinal values were planted. “The following year, we planted trees associated with the 27 ‘nakshatras’ as per the Hindu religious faith. It was followed by planting of flowering plants, exotic fruits and other species,” says Mr. Abraham, who acknowledges the support of students in developing the green patch.

An ardent nature lover, Mr. Abraham lives close to the college campus and this helped him maintain Shanthi Sthal by regularly watering the plants and applying fertilisers until they attained a certain growth.

Apart from students of Christian College, the place is frequented by students and researchers from other colleges and universities. “We are glad that Shanthi Sthal has become a microhabitat. Researchers arrive here to collect specimens. Students also come to study about fungi, tumours and various diseases that affect plants. Last year, a group of students from Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU) visited the garden to separate alkaloids with anti-cancerous properties from Desmodium longipes,” he says.