Noida to adopt Japanese method to boost greenery

NOIDA: The Noida Authority will use a new ‘Miyawaki technique’ for plantation during monsoon in the city this year to increase green cover. The technique focuses on planting groups of native trees to create a forest in a short span of time.

General manager of Noida Authority Rajeev Tyagi explained that the Miyawaki technique is named after the founder of the technique, Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist and plant ecologist. The technique uses a mixture of pioneer and secondary native forest tree species for rapid restoration of forests.

The official said such plantation will initially be done over a 6,000 square metre area of green belt in Sector 91. It will eventually be adopted for other parts of the city as well. The chosen area is the same place where cutting of over 4,000 trees by the Noida Authority last year had led to ‘chipko movement’ of sorts by residents who wanted the Authority to stop felling of trees. Residents had demanded this area be maintained as a city forest.

“Noida Authority is actively working to make Noida self-sustainable. We are developing 144 acres of green lungs in Sector 91 and are working to increase the ground water level of Noida. Revival of wetlands is also a part of the initiative,” said the general manager.
Practised globally now, the technique involves high density plantation and comes with several advantages such as rapid growth of saplings and low maintenance. “This is a low budget technique which, as compared to conventional planting technique, gives faster results. The forest also quickly provides shade and other ecological benefits to the surrounding environment,” he said.

He added that according to the Authority’s current trend, a gap of three metres is left between two trees. However, according to the Miyawaki technique, three to five plants are planted per square metre.

Source : The Times of India