The reported planting of teak saplings on the Kalamassery campus of the public sector company, HMT, has not gone down well with green activists.
The Cochin Nature History Society (CNHS) has taken up the issue with the HMT management as it feared that the planting, which it said was done in a haphazard manner, would damage the ecology of the region.
In a letter to HMT, the society said a large part of the area where saplings were being planted was ecologically degraded land. The area was degraded by mowing down the largely undisturbed patch of natural tree cover for establishing the casting yard of the Kochi Metro Rail project, and hence, eco-restoration was required to be carried out there.
The planting of teak saplings in a monoculture plantation manner was not an ecologically good idea as the species was known for its water guzzling nature, the organisation said.
The teak plantation would deplete the ground water table of the area, thereby affecting the water security and livelihood of the people of the surrounding area, they cautioned.
Teak trees would draw excessive nutrients from the soil, rendering the area barren. It would also cause ecological damage by preventing the growth of other trees and plants, the letter noted.
I said the society was willing to plant saplings of trees suitable for the area. The volunteers of the organisation could chip in and support the greening drive, said Vishnupriyan Kartha, secretary of the organisation.
However, HMT officials defended the decision and maintained that teak was just one among the several tree species planted there. Several varieties of fruit trees including rambutan, jamun fruit, and guava were being planted. Teak saplings numbering around 500 were planted along with the other species, said V. J. Mathew, head of the Human Resource department of the organisation.
The company had always cared for the environment and even removed the acacia trees on its holding. The programmes of the company were carried out in an eco-friendly manner, he said.
