Mayyanadu school embarks on a green mission

KOLLAM: At a time when the mangrove cover in the district is on the verge of extinction, a group of students and teachers of Mayyanadu Higher Secondary School has come up with a mangrove afforestation mission. The students of the school have planted around 1,000 saplings on the banks of Paravoor river, once famous for thick mangrove vegetation, as part of an initiative of the school's eco club. The initiative is being supported by Help Foundation, an NGO.

According to Manoj V, convener of the eco club, it was seven months ago that the idea to plant the saplings sprouted in the minds of the students. "The Help Foundation, that conducts studies and researches on the Paravoor lake, offered us the much needed support. The first phase of afforestation mission has been completed," he said. Social forestry department has also helped them by providing the saplings needed for the first phase and Mayyanad gram panchayat authorities lend their hands in making the first phase a success.

But, during the initial stage, the students faced a problem as they were not sure about where the saplings should be planted. As there are different varieties of mangrove plants, each needed suitable iodized marshy land to grow. They planted three varieties in the Lakshmipuram Thoppu sector -- 'Pranthankandal', 'Vallikkandal' and 'Theekandal'. But, only the Pranthankandal survived while the other two varieties died down at the early stage due to lack of favorable atmosphere. In the second phase, the students are planning to grow the saplings from the seeds in the school itself with the help of the foundation.

Students from the school would visit the spot every two weeks and will record the growth of the plant.