The Community Agrobiodiversity Centre of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) here launched an year-long programme to restore the Vithukadu river to mark World Environment Day on Monday.
The perennial river, a tributary of the Kabani river, has shrunk into a narrow strip of water even during monsoon owing to unrestricted sand mining activities.
The programme, being organised in association with the Meppadi grama panchayat, Social Forestry, Wayanad, and five local clubs in the Meppadi and Puthur Vayal areas, envisages restoration of the river to its previous condition.
Agrostological measures
“The restoration project is being executed by adopting agrostological measures such as planting saplings of bamboo, Pandanus (locally called Kaitha) and plants belonging to the Rare Endemic and Threatened (RET) species being conserved by the MSSRF along the banks of the 3 km stretch of the river in the initial phase,” Joseph John, a scientist and coordinator, of the programme said.
More than 3,000 bamboo saplings, 1,500 saplings of pandanus and 270 RET plants were planted on the first day, he said. Close to 300 youths participated in the programme.
The participants not only planted the saplings but also took a pledge that they would conserve the saplings in the coming days.
‘We decided to plant water loving and fast growing plants including Anthocephalus, (Kadambu), and Terminalia (Maruthu) in the coming days as a part of the restoration programme,’ V. V. Sivan, Senior Scientist, MSSRF, said.
K.K . Sahad , president, Meppadi grama panchayat, inaugurated the programme.