Navi Mumbai: Amid rising mercury levels and a persistent water shortage, a Kharghar resident has taken up the task to keep plants and trees hydrated.
Arjun Garad, a police official, who have been living in Kharghar for the past 15 years, has invested Rs. 38,000 from his savings to install a 1 km drip irrigation system at Sector 6 to ensure that nearly 200 young trees and plants are regularly watered.
To ensure no fresh water is wasted, there’s a pump that links to a storm water drain which sends the water to the pipe that connects with the drip irrigation system. Mr. Garad, who is also the president of the Kharghar Citizen Forum, said he was merely replicating the system he follows at his farm land in Sholapur. He has also got professionals from Sholapur to install the system.
The local town planning authority, CIDCO, has outsourced the watering process, as a result of which trees and plants are allegedly being watered just once a week. “We have been doing our bit for the welfare of Kharghar. During the previous monsoon, we installed 400 plants on an 800-metre stretch in Sector 6. However, we found that they were dying due to lack of water,” Mr. Garad said.
Gajanan Dala, executive engineer in charge of Sector 1 to Sector 11, Kharghar, said, “Water tankers are sent every alternate day for small plants and trees. There is no need to water trees that are four-years-old or are fully grown.” However, Dr. V Shubhalaxmi, ecologist and founder of iNaturewatch Foundation, said watering a plant, especially when it is young, is essential. “Drip irrigation will not only help water the plant regularly but will also save water.”
