Government high schools score over all other departments in protecting saplings planted under the ‘Telangana ku Haritha Haaram’ programme. Under the programme so far 82 crore saplings have been planted across the State.
As per the School Education Department’s calculations, over 86% of the saplings survived on the school premises, turning them verdant in the bargain.
Forest officials term this as conservative estimate and vouch that to be 95% and wherever the schools were surrounded by the compound walls, 100% survival rate was recorded.
Even the Forest Department’s achievement of 70% to 75% pales against these figures.
The main reason attributed to such achievement by the government schools was availability of watch and ward staff. A couple of sanitation workers per school granted by the School Education Department had been assigned the duty of watering and taking care of the plants too and a teacher per school was given the responsibility of the Telangana ku Haritha Haaram programme.
Students were taught by the teachers to wash their hands and plates near the plants after the mid-day meals, so that the roots get plenty of water and nutrients.
“Earlier, the work was given to waged labourers under MGNREGA, and we had faced lot of problems due to the lacunae in implementation,” shares additional PCCF R.M. Dobriyal, who looks after the Haritha Haaram programme.
Due to non-release of wages for NREGA workers, even Forest Department nurseries had suffered, as nobody was available to water the plants, he said.
Buoyed by the success rate in schools, the Forest Department has decided to focus on using high school children as green ambassadors in the next round of afforestation programme set to begin next month.
A meeting presided over by Priyanka Varghese, OSD to the Chief Minister, decided to name the next round as ‘Balala Kosam Haritha Haaram’ (Haritha Haaram for Children), and hold a video conference soon with DEOs, headmasters and teachers in coordination with the School Education Department.
As per the resolutions, a week day will be allotted for protection of plants in every school, and the students from Classes VI to X will be made part of Haritha Haaram programme.
Establishment of green brigades under the watchful eyes of teachers, encouraging the students to adopt saplings, planting saplings on students’ birthdays, promoting programmes such as ‘Vriksha Raksha Bandhan’ and establishment of nature clubs are some of the initiatives proposed.
Growing medicinal plants in schools, educating students about them, incentives to teachers, additional marks to students for their green efforts and mentoring them as ‘green messengers’ to drive home the message of protecting plants are other efforts planned under the programme.
