One hectare of Forest land near NDA where Miyawaki plantation has just started
The state govt, in a GR dated Oct 5, announced a minimum 10% water cut across urban and rural local bodies from Oct 16, citing deficient monsoon rainfall and El Nino-related water scarcity.
Questioning the timing of the project, city resident Prajakta Divekar said the Miyawaki method would require substantial watering during the initial years of plant establishment. “How can plantation activities for a water-intensive programme be carried out after the monsoon season is over and a drought situation is underway?” she asked. Another citizen involved in writing to the forest department regarding this issue said, “Undertaking a plantation programme requiring sustained watering during a period of acute water scarcity as well as after the monsoon raises questions about the use of limited water resources. Pashan resident Pushkar Kulkarni said, “The Miyawaki method involves planting trees and shrubs at high density to encourage rapid vegetation growth. We call for plantation approaches that are less water-intensive and better suited to the region’s natural ecology. ” “Highly resource-intensive methods such as Miyawaki require far more water than native trees adapted to the region’s natural precipitation cycles.
They have sought an immediate halt to further removal of gliricidia vegetation and a deferment of plantations at sites where the work is pending, citing concerns over water-intensive maintenance after the monsoon. Their concerns come amid mounting pressure on water resources. Planting a large numbers of saplings after the monsoon ends could also pose challenges to their survival. However, there are concerns about its suitability for Pune’s dry deciduous, thorny scrub and grassland ecosystems, particularly in a year of deficient rainfall. Ecologically, it would make more sense to plant species suited to the hill ecosystem of Pune, where Gliricidia is removed. This would be a more sensible approach given the current water scarcity,” he added.