Arkavathy river path will go green now

Arkavathy river path will go green now
Times of India

Bangalore: The desert-like terrain through which river Arkavathy meanders will no more be the same. The 72- km stretch — till it flows into the T.G. Hall i reservoir — will soon transform into a richly wooded area with millions of trees. Giving back its lost glory, the masterplan mooted by Navachetana Trust will help rejuvenate the city’s ecosystem. Arkavathy Srinivas Raju
of Navachetana said: “It’ll cost us Rs 150 to grow and maintain trees on Nandi Hills but Rs 50 in the valley below. At that rate, 10 million trees will cost tens of crores of rupees’’.

This group has the reputation of greening the Bangalore University campus with five lakh tree saplings. It also planted one lakh saplings as part of the Laksha Vruksha programme. The four-stage plan to plant saplings on Nandi and the riverway will involve dozens of volunteers and workers. They will also plant saplings along river Kumudavathi, which joins Arkavathy in north Bangalore. The trust plans to use dozens of donkeys for the exercise. “Donkeys are hardy animals capable of carrying huge loads. The animals will ferry water to the trees during summer,’’ he said.

The tree planting spree has started and monsoon rainfall will sustain it. The trust will be supported in the venture by the forest and horticultural departments. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the BWSSB too have promised “lots of help’’. A round of tree planting at a height of 4851 ft atop Nandi Hills was carried out on October 17. There are 1,084 tanks along the waterway until it joins T.G. Halli and this exercise should ensure all tanks are fully watered and Bangalore’s water stock last for long. For contributions contact: chairman, BWSSB, Vananjali.