CHENNAI: Lush greenery, dancing trees, chirping birds, fluttering butterflies, clean air. Welcome to the string of Miyawaki forests in Coimbatore city. With urbanisation increasingly depleting the green cover, the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has decided to pause and change its direction towards a clean and green city.
Being one of the three members who were selected to represent India in the 11th World Urban Forum (WUF), an international conference, organised by UN-Habitat for urban growth and human settlements at Katowice in Poland, the CCMC commissioner M Prathap has devised an action plan for increasing green cover in the city.
Taking a leaf out of European nations' modus vivendi, Prathap has planned to create 100 Miyawaki forests at reserved sites in each of the 100 wards in Coimbatore to make it a green city. "Before August 15, around 100 Miyawaki forests will be created in the OSR (Open Space Reservation) lands in 100 wards of Coimbatore city. The civic body has already created about 20 Miyawaki forests at various locations across the city," he said.
Kovai Kulangal Padhukappu Amaipu an NGO that has been cleaning and preserving the waterbodies of Kovai has signed an MoU with the CCMC on creating a Miyawaki forest in four locations across the city. The group has already created Miyawaki forests in several places in the district, including Perur and Kunnathur.
R Manikandan, environmental activist and coordinator of the NGO, told The New Indian Express that they will be creating a Miyawaki forest in Sakthi Avenue of Kalapatti, Raju Nagar of Kurichi, SM Garden of Sundakamuthur and Happy Avenue in Kovaipudur.
As many as 7,500 trees are set to make up the green space of the four Miyawakies. "Evergreen trees, native species and other plants and tree species, which will attract a lot of birds and butterflies such as Curry trees and Oleander plants, are to be planted in the four Miyawaki forests," Manikandan added.
When starting an initiative to increase the green space of the city, why not lure the people also in lending a hand. And yes, the civic body has also planned for the public’s contribution too, through their very own nursery.
"The civic body will be setting up a nursery in each of the five zones across the city apart from the 100 Miyawaki forests that are to be set up," said CCMC deputy commissioner M Sharmila, adding, "Survey works are underway to find a suitable location for the nurseries."
One might wonder how can a civic body with no experience or expertise in plants or saplings start its own not just one but five nurseries. Well, why worry when the proficient Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) has the back of its fellow Coimbatorean.
The TNAU will provide CCMC with technical expertise in opening and running the nurseries. Once opened, the saplings and plants grown at these nurseries will be sold later to people at a nominal cost. With this, Coimbatore, which is already famous for its climate, is set to turn down the heat further by turning up the green cover.