Bhubaneswar: In a bid to create dense urban forests, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned to adopt the Miyawaki plantation method this monsoon and grow 1 lakh plants and shrubs.
Mostly vacant patches, where dense urban forest can be created, will be identified for the massive plantation drive to be carried out by the BMC’s environment wing.After super cyclone in 1999 and cyclone Fani in 2019, this is the first time the Miyawaki plantation method will be used to create urban forests.

“It is a massive plantation exercise in which around 10 varieties of saplings will be procured from the city forest division. We have conveyed our requirement to them and they are expected provide us the saplings in two weeks. We will also finalise the sites where plantation will be taken up,” said BMC commissioner Rajesh Patil.
BMC officials said the sites will range from half-an-acre to 10 acres. “To begin with, we will carry out plantation in front of the Temporary Transit Station near Sainik School where space is available. While surveying the sites, we may take help of the general administration department as most of the city lands are under its control,” said BMC environment officer Sudhansu Sekhar Sahu. For expanding green cover and to reduce pollution, BMC planted during last monsoon 3,800 saplings at 88 schools and 22 wealth centres where municipal solid waste is processed.
“Our school and institutional plantation drive is still going on. We have selected saplings of 23 different species which are fast-growing, climate-friendly and calamity-resilient. The city requires hardy species as it is prone to frequent cyclones and torrential rain accompanied by gusty wind,” Sahu added.

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