14 Sep 2020  |   06:16am IST

A Green initiative to save Guirim’s iconic coconut trees

Tree lovers clean surrounding of trees and pour organic manure so that they generate new roots
A Green initiative to save  Guirim’s iconic coconut trees

Team Herald

MAPUSA: Goa Green Brigade with help of 45 volunteers has taken the initiative to save the iconic coconut trees along the Guirim highway. 

These trees are on the verge of dying due to the indiscriminate choking of their stem with the dumping of debris to a height of one to five metres above the original ground level at the road hump for the Guirim underpass from St Anthony Ward to Monte de Guirim. 

The Goa Green Brigade along with Goa horticulturist Miguel Braganza and Nestor Rangel of Ilha Verde and tree lovers cleaned the surrounding of the trees and poured organic manure so that these trees generate new roots.

Goa Green Brigade was provided with equipment like pickaxe, fawda, crowbar, gamela, etc, by Mr Farmer, while Nestor Rangel provided organic manure mixture. 

"Due to COVID 19 we had restricted the number of volunteers to a minimum of 15 people. However, we received tremendous response wherein people from all walks of life participated in this initiative of giving new roots to these iconic coconut trees at Guirim highway,” Avertino Miranda of Goa Green Brigade said.

"These are iconic trees which the government wants to shave off like they have done at Colvale where they destroyed the 200 years old mango trees. We have written several letters to Forest Department, MVR infrastructure, PWD but haven't received any response from them", Miranda informed.

"The contractor has completely violated the NGT directive, which clearly states that at least 1x1 radius around the tree should be maintained without concrete. Several letters were made to PWD and contractor with regards to this but no response. If they don’t act on this directive then they will force us to approach NGT," Miranda warned.


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