When land comes to life

Mamadapur village in Vijayapura district saw an unexpected transformation — in just two years, vast stretches of barren land in the village have been replaced by  lush greenery. Forest officials and residents of the village worked together in taking around 300 hectares of land containing thorny weeds, and developing it into a scenic and diversely forested area. The village is located in Babaleshwar taluk, which comes under the Vijayapura forest range.

Over 1.36 lakh plants have been grown in the forested area within two years, turning the arid area into a green haven. The growth of around 36 species of trees has also started attracting birds, as it has created a conducive habitat for nesting.

Vijayapura is known for its high temperature, attributed in part to the absence of forest cover. Locals have been bracing to prepare for heat waves, as the district sizzles at temperatures higher than 45 degrees Celsius during summer. The district has a mere 1,700 hectares of notified forest area, the lowest reserve forest cover compared to all districts in the state.

Before the intervention, the area was covered with the invasive weed Ballari jaali (Prosopis juliflora). Work began in the area using corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding from the adjacent National Thermal Power Corporation plant. 

Initially, forest officials started a drive to clear the invasive plants and weeds. It took around six months to remove these plants in 2022. Funds from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme and forest department were used in this drive, which has provided employment to many in the surrounding areas. The project was powered by the work of  more than 100 people from nearby villages including Killarahatti, Mamadapur and Kakhandaki.

The process

After the weeds were removed, the daily wage workers began to dig pits measuring 1x1 m. In June 2022, saplings were planted here once rain water was collected in the pits at the start of the monsoon. 

Around 45,000 saplings of more than 30 varieties were grown last year. This year, more than 38,000 saplings have been planted. Barbed wire fences have been erected around a radius of 22 km of the reserve forest to protect it from encroachment.

“The growth of vegetation has created a natural cooling effect in the surrounding villages,” says environmentalist Abhinava Murugendra, swamiji of Mamadapur Viraktamath.  At this pace, the region could turn into a more dense forest in the future, which will attract more migratory birds, he adds. “Elected representatives should utilise their grants for afforestation, instead of spending their allocations for the construction of temples and community halls,” says Abhinava.

The plants have been maintained by watering them six times in the first year and three times in the second year. More than 15 tankers have been deployed for this purpose. About half of the plants are getting water through drip irrigation. The officials also hired 28 people to nurture the plants. This resulted in a survival rate of more than 95%. They faced a tough challenge in protecting the plants during the drought which engulfed the region last year. 

Forest officials have also employed the Japanese afforestation method of Miyawaki, which uses dense, multi-layered planting of a diverse range of native plant species that grow very quickly and help to create a natural ecosystem. They have adopted this method in a few patches on a trial basis. Saplings which have high survival rates and are suitable for the local environment were chosen and planted. This includes tamarind, custard apple, honge, neem, sandal, guava, mango, bamboo and tapasi.

Historical lakes 

The area was once renowned for two large tanks measuring 800 acres, which were built here during the reign of Mohammed Adil Shah. These lakes were rejuvenated a few years ago, as villagers came together to remove the silt. They hired heavy machinery to have the silt carried out and transported to their farmlands. Silt helps improve the fertility of the soil.

Today, water is being supplied to these tanks through the Almatti Left Bank Canal. These tanks, along with an open well, have been the main source of water for the plants. A small trench surrounding the forested area has also been widened to ensure flow of canal water throughout the year. 

“These lakes had dried up due to the recurring drought, and borewells in surrounding villages had also become defunct. But the storage capacity of the lakes increased once the silt was removed. This led to an increase in the groundwater table, allowing us to grow water-intensive crops like sugarcane in surrounding farms,” lecturer and farmer Suresh Karikal says.

Effect on ecology

The range forest officer Santosh Ajur received the Chief Minister’s Medal for his work in launching the drive soon after his posting in Mamadapur. “We planted 20,000 saplings during monsoon in the first year in 2022. After this succeeded, we started planting more saplings for the next two rainy seasons,” he says. Now, 300 hectares out of the total 624 are covered with plants. “We are planning to continue the plantation in the remaining arid forest land,” the officer adds.

Assistant Conservator of Forests Bhagyavanth Masudi says that the department will collaborate with village forest committees to share the revenue earned from the sale of fruits grown here. He points out that the members of these committees can utilise the revenue for the development of their villages. In turn, he hopes the locals will extend their cooperation to officials in protecting the forest from encroachment, theft of wood for fuel and fire incidents through community participation.

“The region’s dependency on the Almatti dam for its water needs underscores its vulnerability to drought. The success of the green initiative has not only improved the ecological balance, but will also assure economic benefits for local communities through sale of fruits grown in the forested area in the future. The greening effort is a beacon of hope amidst challenging environmental conditions,” Masudi says.

Nurseries have been set up at Bhutanal lake in Vijayapura and Almatti dam. A team of forest officials initiated this move after conducting a study having visited Rajahmundry, the hub of nurseries in Andhra Pradesh. This came soon after they faced a shortage of saplings after the launch of Koti Vruksha Abhiyan, a mission to plant one crore trees in the district. 

Plans are also afoot to construct a meditation hall, science laboratory and tree park at the human-made forest.