Tura, June 5: The World Environment Day was observed on Wednesday in West Garo Hills District with plantation drives being carried out at different blocks including at Selsela, Dadenggre, Rongram, Gambegre and others. Block Development Officers of respective blocks, staff, members of VO and the local people participated in the official events held at different venues.
The Theme for this years’ celebration is “Land Restoration, desertification and drought resilience”.
The College of Community Science also observed the day with a Poster Painting competition organized at the college for Secondary School students of Sangsangre. The Programme was conducted by the Multi technology testing centre and Vocational Training Centre, College of Community Science, CAU, Tura.
The occasion was celebrated by the KVK South Garo Hills under CAU-I, ATARI -Zone VII.
The plantation of a number of fruit trees like Litchi, Guava, Apple, Pomegranate, Grapes etc and other trees like FoxTail Palm, Bottle Palm, London Pine etc marked the day’s celebration.
The ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), West Garo Hills, in collaboration with the Divisional Forest Office and Social Forestry Division of West Garo Hills, commemorated the occasion with a tree plantation event held at Samandalgre village. The initiative aimed to promote environmental stewardship and raise awareness about the importance of land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience, in line with the theme of World Environment Day 2024.
During the event, various agroforestry trees, predominantly Subabul, Jamun, and Ashoka, generously provided by the Divisional Forest Office, were planted in the village. Each tree was adorned with a nameplate bearing the name of the farmer responsible for its planting. This personalized approach seeks to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility among farmers, encouraging them to nurture and care for the trees they have planted.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) Garo Hills unit also organised a comprehensive celebration of World Environment Day across all districts of Garo Hills. The initiative focused on planting saplings and distributing them among various administrative offices, school principals and college principals. This effort was aimed at fostering environmental consciousness and promoting sustainable practices within the community.
To mark the occasion, the 120 Bn CRPF also planted a total of 2000 saplings led by its Commandant Pramod Kumar Singh and other force officials.
The plantation drive was carried out that Matchakolgre, Industrial area in Tura. Various trees like Ashok, Jamun, Kahtal, Mango, Amrud, Gulmohar, Balsam, Tejpatta, Dalchini, Agar and Paikas were planted on the occasion.
Meanwhile, South Garo Hills district also held its official celebration of the occasion at the Rangku Memorial Girls Secondary School Hall Baghmara.
Additional Deputy Commissioner, P R Sangma, who was the Chief Guest on the occasion spoke about the problems and reasons of facing water crisis everywhere which can be mitigated only by planting more and more trees. He said that if one tree is cut down, at least five trees should be planted to replace it.