THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Neyyattinkara-based Academy for Mountaineering and Adventure Sports in the city has come up with a new initiative. The panchayat-level inauguration of their venture, ‘Primary Environment Care Project’ was conducted the other day, at Kulathoor Panchayat. The project, with it’s tagline ‘Save Nature Pave Future’, aims at preserving the natural environmental habitats, especially the water resources with help from the public. It also aims at creating awareness among children on global warming and environment conservation.
The project is being funded by the Department of Environment and Climate Change. The event conducted at the venue aimed at encouraging the present school students to plant a number of Vetiver (Ramacham) plants across the venue. A number of school students and NSS volunteers along with staff from different schools across the panchayat along with Kudumbasree workers assembled at the Nellikonam pond in the panchayat at 10.30 am as part of the event. The students soon got busy, planting a number of these plants along the banks of the pond.
While the panchayat-level inauguration focussed only on the Nellikonam pond, the ward-level projects which will be inaugurated over the next few days will look at other ponds and water resources across the panchayat. There is a total of 33 ponds in the area.
According to C Rajendran, director, AMAS, vetiver is mostly beneficial when planted near water bodies, and helps in preventing soil erosion. The programme aims at planting vetiver plants surrounding all the water bodies in the panchayat within the next month. While the project will expand to other districts, we are focusing on 7 other panchayats in Thiruvananthapuram.
Apart from Pozhiyoor Johnson and C Sreekumaran Nair, Kulathoor Grama Panchayat president and secretary respectively, the event was also attended by MLA R Selvaraj, C Sreedharan, special officer, PEC project, AMAS Kerala and F Joymon, assistant director and chief project co-ordinator, PEC, AMAS Kerala.Other panchayats where similar projects are taking place include Kattakada, Peringadavila, Chenkal and Karode.