Baksa School Eco Club starts indigenous fruit micro forest

A Correspondent

Tamulpur, June 6: Modern English School Eco Club of Nikashi, Baksa started a micro forest of indigenous fruits of Assam under the technical guidance of Green Environment Task Force (GETF) on the occasion of World Environment Day on Tuesday. The Eco-Club’s objective is to safeguard the existing major and minor fruit trees locally found. The special emphasis is on conservation of underutilized fruit species which are still grown in either wild or semi-wild condition and also to maintain ecological balance. The sole idea is to bring back native forest of fruit trees.

The plantation was started with collected saplings of indigenous fruits from wild along with saplings provided from the Divisional Forest Office, Mushalpur in the land of Nikashi Anchalik Jyestha Nagarik Parishad at Durgapur village. Jinu Pathak, Programme Co-ordinator of GETF and representatives of the Senior Citizens’ body took part in the plantation programme.

Addressing the gathering, Jinu Pathak spoke at length about fruit diversity of Assam as well as Northeast India, which is considered as one of the richest biodiversity hotspots of the world, due to diverse topography, climate and agro-ecological conditions. She added, “A number of fruits species have their origin in this region, many of which are still grown in wild or semi-wild state. But many local fruits trees are disappearing from our rural landscape. Some of these are already under the verge of extinction.”

She urged the students to create a database on fruits found locally. Along with this, the School Eco-Club carried out a number of activities related to the World Environment Day 2018 theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’. The Eco-Club members undertook awareness drive with posters, wall writing and signature campaign on reducing plastic pollution, exhibition of vertical garden using plastic water bottles and displayed materials made of plastic waste along with distribution of paper bags among the locals.

The Eco-Club also presented Green Angel badges to the green workers of the schools. A demonstration on hand washing and hygiene was also conducted by the District Water and Sanitation Committee, Baksa. The programme ended with felicitation of local tree planters who planted saplings provided by the Eco-Club on the World Environment Day last year.