In a fresh beginning, walkers and residents came to The Tree Park in Kotturpuram to help in restoration work following the devastation caused by cyclone Vardah last month.
As part of The Hindu Friends of Chennai initiative to restore the park, volunteers from NGO Nizhal and residents have been clearing the debris and setting right the branches.
K. Shridhar, a 43-year-old teacher, had come from Mylapore after hearing about the initiative. “I have never planted saplings or even tendered a garden at home. But, my 87-year-old neighbour has a beautiful garden. Looking at his passion for gardening and love for plants, I was inspired and thought there should be a beginning at some point. It was heart-wrenching to see the number of trees that have been damaged. So I decided to contribute to the restoration of the park,” he said.
Harish Chandran, a 24-year-old resident of Kodambakkam, said he was disheartened to see his pots damaged after the cyclone and then imagined the scale of havoc on the city. “Soon after restoration, there needs to be large-scale plantation. Otherwise, the city will suffer to a great extent in the future,” he said.
Currently, as part of this work, volunteers have been cleaning up the park, spraying fungicide and root hormones to induce better growth.
Shoba Menon of Nizhal said the damage to the green cover could have been minimised had there been continuous tree health management. “Experts are required to monitor tree health and the nutrients they need. As no one is keeping track of the newly planted ones, who will check the status of old ones,” she asked.
