The Meenangadi grama panchayat in Wayanad district is on a mission to be India’s first carbon-neutral panchayat. The aim is to have zero carbon footprint, by bring down pollution, carbon emissions, and plastic waste.
The Carbon-neutral Meenangadi panchayat project intends to offset carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted by human activities through a series of environmental-friendly methods, Beena Vijayan, president of the panchayat, told The Hindu . Planting trees is a major activity to be taken up under the project. With the carbon-neutral status, the panchayat would be able to brand and market crops such as coffee and pepper produced there as premium products.
The project is being implemented with the support of environmental advocacy group Thanal, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation’s Community Agrobiodiversity Centre, Academy of Climate Change Education and Research (ACCER) under Kerala Agricultural University, and the zoology department of Kannur University.
Assessment on
The project was launched on June 5 last year by assessing carbon emission arising out of consumption of electricity and fuel in all the 9,000 houses in the panchayat and from vehicles.
This was followed by an assessment of carbon emission from trees, which was completed two days ago with the support of the students and faculties of the ACCER. The team started measuring the carbon content of the soil on Friday.
Seedling disbursal
“The results will be utilised to decide which areas need more trees to offset the carbon emission. We have already disbursed around one lakh seedlings to farmers. We are planning to supply the same number this year too,” she said.
Funds earmarked
The panchayat has earmarked around ₹11 crore for the project this year. The initiatives include setting up of a biodiversity park, soil and water conservation programmes under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and setting up a centralised waste treatment plant . The State government also earmarked ₹10 crore for the project in its budget this fiscal, Ms. Beena said.
