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Uttar Pradesh says it has planted over 250 million saplings in a day
About 50 million more saplings are expected to be planted in the state. The saplings were prepared in 1819 nurseries of the forest department.
Uttar Pradesh planted over 25 crore (250 million) saplings in a day on Sunday, setting “a record of sorts”, an official said. Five crore (50 million) more saplings are expected to be planted in the next few days.
By 6.30pm, 2,55,104,004 saplings were planted in the state, according to the real time update shared via an online platform by the forest department. This comes to two crore saplings per hour on an average.
“It is a record of sorts to plant over 25 crore saplings in about 12 hours,” said a senior forest official.
“We took plantation as a campaign and planted 5.71 crore saplings in 2017, 11.77 crore saplings in 2018, nearly 23 crore in 2019, and despite Covid, 25.87 crore in 2020. We have a target of planting more than 30 saplings this year,” said chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday after planting a sapling in Sultanpur.
“It is with the participation of the people of the state that planting over 100 crore saplings (during 2017-18 to 2020-21) is being made possible,” said the chief minister.
“A new thing has been added to the plantation drive where an appeal has been made to all gram panchayats and people to make smriti vatikas in their localities in memory of those who died during the Covid pandemic,” he said.
Panchwati, Nakshatra Vatika, and Nav Grah Vatikas were being established, the chief minister said, adding that 100-year-old trees were being conserved as heritage trees.
Governor Anandben Patel began the plantation drive by planting a sapling in Jhansi.
The plantation started at 6am on Sunday. By 10 am, 5 crore saplings were planted, and by 1 pm the figure shot up to over 10 crore. By 3 pm, over 15 crore saplings were planted. The number reached 20 crore by 4pm and 24 crore by 5pm.
By 6.30pm, 25,51,04,004 saplings were planted. A total of 42.17 crore saplings have been prepared in 1819 nurseries in the state. Amla, Harad, Dhak, Kadamba, Banyan, Gular, Jamun, Tamarind, Bel, Neem, Arjuna, Kaitha, Moulshree, Drumstick and Bahera were planted along with Ashwagandha, Satavar, Sarpagandha, Peepli, Dudhi, Giloy, Tulsi, Guarpatha, Safed Musli and Balmakhira. About 67 lakh saplings are to be planted along the riverbanks in 27 districts.
Once they (30 crore saplings/trees) survive and grow big enough, they will provide oxygen for daily consumption of 12.30 crore people, said the forest department in a press statement. The forest department that has prepared saplings in its nurseries across the state said the oxygen produced will be worth ₹50 crore.
“The present rate of oxygen per litre is ₹4 and trees will produce 6774 crore litre. An individual consumes 550 litres of oxygen on an average per day,” said the chief conservator of forest in a press statement.
