Thoothukudi’s green initiatives; Man-made forest, park revivals and global partnerships

Thoothukudi Corporation transforms city with green covers, man-made forest, tree plantation drives, and park restoration projects.

Thoothukudi city, long known for its industries and scorching temperatures is now undergoing the transformation with a focus on developing green covers across the possible places in the city. The Thoothukudi Corporation is actively promoting this green initiative through tree plantation drives and park restoration projects.

A significant effort in this initiative includes the development of man-made forest at the Tharuvaikulam dumping yard for the past six years.

The corporation owns around 578 acres along the Tharuvaikulam road, which has been utilized for waste dumping, since the time the city was classified under Municipality limits. Other than the mountain’s bio and non-biodegradable wastes at the site ,the remaining area was overgrown with Prosopis juliflora and thick bushes. At this juncture, to reclaim and transform this space, the corporation has begun clearing the invasive vegetation and is working to establish a man made forest in the region.

This initiative began in 2019, with two acres of land chosen for the pilot project. Through bio mining, the dumped waste was removed and the land was prepared for planting trees. Initially 2,000 tree saplings were planted in the area on a trial basis. Although the project faced a setback in 2021 due to shortage of water, the Corporation revived the nearby sewage treatment and used the treated water to support the plants.

By 2024, the corporation has planted around 1.5 lakh trees in various phases, including occasions such as Chief Minister’s birthday and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions.

Currently two private firms have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thoothukudi corporation, one firm has committed to planting trees across 100 acres, while other will cover 25 acres of land.

Tree species such as neem, Manila tamarind (Kodukkapuli), pungan, guava and others were planted at the site.