Chennai, May 22 (UNI) And now an ambulance to save trees !
It may sound unique, but it was an effort to save the trees and
to enhance the green cover of the State.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday flagged off
the first Tree ambulance in the city on the occasion of International
Day for Biological Diversity.
After Cyclones Vardah and Gaja uprooted hundreds of trees in
Tamil Nadu, the green cover has reduced drastically.
In an initiative to help the state breathe easy, SASA group under
the guidance of Dr Abdul Ghani, popularly known as Green man
of India and founder of Tree Ambulance foundation, launched
tree ambulance and it was flagged off by Mr Naidu.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Naidu said the ‘Tree Ambulance’
initiative was a campaign to save trees.
The Tree Ambulance is conceived, designed, fabricated and
equipped to provide first aid treatment to trees, aid tree plantation,
assist the shifting of trees, carry out seed ball distribution and
facilitate awareness drives in favour of tree conservation and
afforestation.
'Unconventional solutions such as the tree ambulance coupled
with community participation can go a long way in conserving
and increasing our green cover', he added.
The idea of a tree ambulance is to save trees by caring for sick
ones and help bring back uprooted trees to their feet, Suresh
Krishna Jadhav, founder, SASA Group, said.
He said 'with rising pollution levels and diminishing green space,
it is vital for fully grown trees to be nurtured and protected. We
have the complete equipment including latest mechanical tools,
fungicides and fertilizers'.
"In phase two, we will completely automise the process of tree
lifting and placing. Currently it is semi-automatic. This should
happen by December', he said.
The services provided by the tree ambulance included first aid
treatment, uprooted tree planting, seed bank, seed ball distribution,
plant distribution, aiding tree plantation, shifting trees, survey of
trees and removal of dead trees.
The ambulance services, launched as part of Phase-1, could
be availed through the helpline number- 9941006786. People
can register themselves as volunteers in their website
www.treeambulance.org.
Travelling along with the Tree ambulance, was a plant expert
and helpers, who would be armed with gardening tools, water,
manure and pesticide.
'Our ultimate aim is to set up a tree ambulance in each district
of India and develop strong volunteer community to support this
program', he said.
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