Coimbatore city municipal body to develop 100 Miyawaki forests by August 15 to increase green cover

COIMBATORE: As part of efforts to increase green cover in the city, the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) plans to create Miyawaki forests in Open Space Reservation lands in each of its 100 wards and a nursery in each of the five zones by August 15.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, CCMC Commissioner M Prathap, said, "On the path towards a smarter city, the green coverage in the city gets reduced eventually. When compared to the rural regions, the green cover in the urban regions has decreased and as a result, the temperature in the cities keeps soaring. European nations don't compromise on green coverage. So, we had a brainstorming session on how to increase the green cover at the 11th World Urban Forum (WUF) in Poland."

Prathap attended the 11th World Urban Forum (WUF), an international conference organized by UN-Habitat for urban growth and human settlements, organized at Katowice in Poland from June 26 to 30, along with Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar and Bhubaneswar Municipal Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange.

"The civic body has already created about 20 Miyawaki forests at various locations across the city. As part of the Clean and Green Cities Initiative, we have planned to create a Miyawaki forest in 100 wards of the city before August 15," he added.

CCMC Deputy Commissioner Dr M Sharmila told TNIE that the civic body will also be setting up five nurseries in each of the five zones across the city, adding that the survey works are underway to find a suitable location for the nurseries.

"We are looking for locations with a water tank facility to water the plants adequately. CCMC is in talks with the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) for technical expertise on opening and running the nurseries. The saplings and plants grown in the nurseries will be sold later at a nominal cost," she added.