Indore: World Environment Day has been celebrated on June 5 every year since 1974. It is the United Nation's primary vehicle to spread awareness about the challenges and the need for environmental conservation.
The theme for World Environment Day 2020 is biodiversity, a concern described as "both urgent and existential" by the Environment Day committee on its website. This year, the day is being observed with calls for urgent actions to protect our planet's biodiversity.
"The emergence of COVID-19 has underscored the fact that when we destroy biodiversity we destroy the system that supports human life. By upsetting the delicate balance of nature, we have created ideal conditions for pathogens - including coronaviruses - to spread," says the World Environment Day website.
Here is how Indoreans celebrated World Environment Day with webinars, plantation drives and strategies for increasing forest cover.
3,500 saplings in BSF grounds
Border Security Force organised plantation drive at Bijasan and Reoti Range campus on world environment day. About 3,500 saplings were planted by forest and BSF officials. The event was organised under supervision of PS Bains Inspector General BSF. He briefed the troops regarding the importance of trees.
Among saplings planted, local varieties like Peepal, Jamun, Mahua, Karanj, Awala, Goolar, Shisham, Neem and Kathal were planted.
In the memory of late Corona warriors
A plantation drive was organised at Saint Kanwar Ram garden in Sindhi colony at 12 noon in the memory of the corona activists and warriors who died. Namo Namo Shankara lead by MP Shankar Lalwnai had organised the plantation drive. The plantation project will be taken ahead with several similar drives in June, said Lalwani.
Imbalance in nature results in calamities
A webinar and plantation drive was organised by Bramhakumaris in Indore. In the webinar, additional principal secretary of forest department, MP Purushottam Dhiman said, “There is a need for balance in material development and environmental protection.” He explained how an imbalance in nature affects our lives and in return nature revolts. Hemlata Didi, regional coordinator of Indore zone, urged all the followers to take care of nature as mother and ensure plantation.
“The balance of the 5 elements has deteriorated. As a result of which there are increasing natural calamities, it is our responsibility to protect nature and the environment from pure thoughts with pure feelings, leaving the greed for protecting human life,” she said.
Former dean of Agricultural College VK Swarnakar said, “Due to the lockdown, people remained locked in the houses, allowing nature to heal and we can see the effect on the air and water.”
Consider GEP with GDP: Joshi
Week-long celebrations of environment week organised by Jimmy McGilligan Centre of Sustainable Development concluded on Friday. In the week-long celebrations, several issues concerning biodiversity and importance of reviving local plant species were discussed by experts.
Padma Bhusan Anil Joshi was the keynote speaker of the concluding day. “We need to consider Gross Environment Product (GEP) along with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) also,” he said. He quoted that we have lost 100 million trees in the span between 1980 and 2020.
“Forest is not limited to trees, it is an entire ecosystem with visible and invisible species and destroying this ecosystem is bound to end our survival as well,” Joshi said. He added that since the industrial revolution, we have lost 68 per cent green cover.
“If we set a line of control, then there is a chance that we will survive and be healthy,” Joshi said. Padma Shri Janak McGilligan Palta gave the closing note for the week.
Plantation techniques & drive at Ralamandal
Forest department organised various plantation drives in the city on world environment day. Along with drives, educational webinars were organised. Major plantation drive was organised at Ralamandal and BSF grounds.
Further, under the celebrations, more than 100 saplings of teak, amala and other saplings were planted in the Ralamandal area, ensuring social distancing.
At the programme, a plantation workshop was also organised by Indore DFO (district forest officer) TS Suliya and CCF (chief conservator of forest) CS Ninama.
“The major methods of asexual propagation are cuttings, layering, division, budding and grafting. Cuttings involve rooting a severed piece of the parent plant; layering involves rooting a part of the parent and then severing it, and budding and grafting is joining two plant parts from different varieties,” Suliya explained.
