KHAMMAM: Walking through the streets of Enkoor wearing an oxygen mask and carrying saplings, 45-year-old electrician Kontu Sambaiah has been delivering a stark message: increasing pollution and loss of greenery could create an oxygen crisis for future generations. His decade-long mission has seen him plant more than 50,000 trees.
Sambaiah of Enkoor has been quietly campaigning for environmental protection while earning a living as a private electrician. He discontinued his studies after Intermediate and began planting saplings and sowing seeds in and around Enkoor in 2014, inspired by environmentalist Vanajeevi Ramaiah.
Despite his busy schedule attending to electrical and motor-winding work, Sambaiah regularly visits nearby hillocks and other locations to plant and nurture trees. His efforts are particularly focused on Cheemalapadu Gutta, Kallur Gutta and Imamnagar Gutta.
After some saplings planted in villages were damaged or removed, he shifted his focus to hillocks, burial grounds, water tanks and other locations where the trees could grow with minimal disturbance.
Sambaiah prefers fruit-bearing and native varieties such as tamarind, seema chintakaya, palmyra and wild almond. He has also set up a small nursery at home to raise seedlings before planting them at suitable locations.
During summer, he carries water to the hillocks to keep the saplings alive. He also keeps small containers of water for birds, believing that environmental protection should benefit all living beings.
To raise awareness about climate change and environmental degradation, Sambaiah adopted an unusual method — walking through the streets wearing an oxygen mask and carrying saplings. The visual, he says, is meant to warn people that continued pollution and loss of green cover could leave future generations facing an oxygen crisis.
He has also conducted awareness campaigns at public gatherings, using placards and messages urging people to protect trees and increase green cover.
Sambaiah believes environmental protection cannot be left solely to governments or voluntary organisations and that every individual has a responsibility to protect nature. His efforts have earned appreciation in Enkoor and surrounding areas.
His work has also received recognition, including the Dr BR Ambedkar Fellowship Award in 2019 and a certificate of appreciation with a cash reward during Telangana Formation Day celebrations.
Speaking to TNIE, Sambaiah says his aim was to protect the environment for future generations. He said he had set himself the goal of planting lakhs of saplings during his lifetime.
His wife Seeta said the family had never objected to his efforts and actively participated in planting saplings.
