UTTARAKHAND: Thirty-year-old Chandan Singh Nayal is a living example of environmental protection. Hailing from the village of Tok Chama in the Okhalkanda block of Nainital district, his commitment to ecological preservation is exceptional.
After obtaining a diploma in engineering, instead of pursuing a career in that field, Chandan Nayal took up the cause of environmental conservation.
In the past ten years, he has planted over 60,000 trees. With the help of youth and women’s support groups, Chandan is developing mixed forests on four hectares of land in his village.
For tree planting, he prepares around 40,000 plants in his nursery every year and has distributed 83,000 plants to people so far. He has devoted his life to preserving trees and has donated his body to Haldwani Medical College. Speaking to this newspaper, Nayal expressed, “By donating my body, I aim to ensure that even after my passing, not a single tree is felled for my last rites.”
Chandan said, “In the last ten years, by constructing more than 6,000 micro check dams and through rainwater harvesting, my team and local villagers have helped revive dried-up water sources, trees, and forests.”
Hailing from Okhalkanda, he relocated to Ramnagar to pursue his studies under the guidance of his uncle. He later obtained a diploma in engineering from Lohaghat and subsequently served as a teacher in Rudrapur for some time.
Throughout his teaching tenure, Chandan actively educated the community about the importance of trees and forests. With the assistance of students and other supporters, he also actively participated in tree-planting initiatives on multiple occasions. Despite his experiences in urban settings, Chandan’s passion for nature and conservation never wavered.
Chandan elaborated, “I have established an oak forest near the village to alleviate the need for women to travel long distances in search of fodder and grass for their livestock. Oak saplings have been meticulously planted, and water channels have been strategically implemented to maintain optimal moisture levels for the trees. Upon maturation, this forest will be a sustainable resource, ensuring that women no longer have to venture far for essential fodder.”
PM Narendra Modi has commended Chandan’s environmental efforts during the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme. He was honoured with the prestigious ‘Water Hero Award’ by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, on July 23, 2021. In addition to this, Nayal has been the recipient of various prestigious awards, including the Uttarakhand Ratna and the Sunder Lal Bahuguna Smriti Vriksha Mitra.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has recognised and celebrated Chandan’s contributions. Sanjay Chauhan, a respected social worker and advocate who has championed movements in Uttarakhand focusing on education, environment, and migration, counts Nayal as one of his inspirations.
Nayal distributes and plants thousands of fruit-bearing and bamboo saplings every year. Over the past ten years, Chandan has raised awareness among people in various blocks of Nainital district about environmental conservation. Now, he has a team of young people in every block.
“So far, I have taught environmental lessons to thousands of students in nearly 200 schools and have also conveyed the message of environmental conservation.”
Chandan primarily aims to prepare and conserve the oak forests, recharge water sources by constructing check dams and trenches, and save the forests. Every year, he distributes saplings of oak, fig, pomegranate, apple, walnut, amla, malta, and lemon. Bakaul Chandan always receives support from the forest department for tree planting, but as trees were scarce, I have also set up my nursery and distribute more than 6,000 saplings to people every year,” he says.