Celebrating Vanmahotsav Like a Festival: Essential for Maintaining Ecological Balance

Where there is a will, there is a way. The revolution in the automobile industry, emissions from vehicles, battery-operated cars, e-rickshaws, the heat from air conditioning units, the vision towards industrialization, and the expansion of national highways and expressways have all contributed to the felling of millions of trees and the conversion of fertile agricultural land for national development. This deforestation and increased urbanization have led to ecological imbalance, pollution, and climate change, causing natural disasters.

Millions of new saplings are planted every year during the monsoon season as part of Vanmahotsav, celebrated like a festival. New saplings are planted, photographs are clicked, and Vanmahotsav makes headlines in print and electronic media. However, many of these saplings fail to survive due to negligence, lack of water, or the heat of the sun.

Political and social organizations, schools, and colleges celebrate Vanmahotsav with great enthusiasm, but what is truly needed is to motivate students to plant at least one sapling near their homes and care for it for a minimum of six months. Only then can we achieve fruitful results.

The Union and State Governments should also utilize the services of MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005) workers to plant a minimum of 10 to 15 saplings, care for them for at least one year, and ensure their growth. MGNREGA workers should be responsible for watering the saplings they plant. Only then can we see a significant increase in green cover. It is plants and trees that release oxygen throughout the day and help reduce pollution in the atmosphere.

Even though the Ministry of National Highways has ordered construction companies to plant new saplings on both sides of newly constructed roads, the results are often unsatisfactory. We all must be sincere in our commitment to nature, as neglecting it leads to natural disasters, such as floods and cloudbursts, which wash away roads and damage fertile agricultural lands.

Trees along riverbanks help prevent the erosion of fertile agricultural land during floods. If we do not take responsibility for planting new saplings, the future consequences are dire. We should also plant fruit-bearing saplings that can provide food for birds, insects, and humans. The shade from trees offers relief from the scorching heat, providing shelter for people. Trees play a major role in our lives, offering a soothing atmosphere and helping to reduce pollution.

This year, we should plant a sapling, care for it, and let it grow into a tree. Then, plant a new sapling the next year. Planting a sapling is easy, but nurturing it to maturity is challenging. We should all pledge and motivate others to plant a sapling this year for the benefit of nature and a pollution-free environment in the future so that future generations can enjoy a clean environment.

The Punjab Government department Punjab Water Resources and Development Corporation officers and workers are conducting a commendable drive to plant saplings at tube well sites. Other government and semi-government departments should follow suit and plant new saplings on their vacant lands.

Authored by:  
Rajat Kumar Mohindru  
Journalist,  
Jalandhar City.