UP: Soon, Miyawaki mini forest at Kanha Upvan

LUCKNOW: A 'grow mini forest' campaign through the Japanese Miyawaki method would be launched at Kanha Upvan, a

government run cow shelter

near Sarojininagar on the occasion of the World Environment Day on Friday. The campaign also aims at tackling air and

noise pollution levels

in city areas as well as to increase the green cover.

Miyawaki is a Japanese botanical method to restore mini forests in

urban areas

. Under this method small areas are identified to plant samplings with an aim to improve the urban landscape. Preference is given to the plantation of herbal and medicinal plants so that they can be used by people for enhancing their immunity, enabling them to defeat the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Highlighting the new urban afforestation technique and its launching in the

state capital

on Friday, commissioner of Lucknow division

Mukesh Meshram

said that initially the Miyawaki method would be introduced at Kanha Upvan – a government run cow shelter near Sarojininagar. A mini forest would be developed at the 'upvan' in less than 18 months, he added.

Meshram further said that he has planned to develop 100 Miyawaki mini jungles in the state capital to provide much-needed vegetation to address air and noise pollution as well as to create special oxygen zones.The Japanese concept is immensely helpful in developing forest on a small area of about 200 sq-metres, the commissioner said adding that to increase the green cover the Miyawaki format is most suitable and the method has already adopted by Kerala and Karnataka.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of the World Environment Day on Friday, a special helpline would be launched to offer free saplings of herbal and medicinal plants to the interested people, the commissioner said and added that he had discussed the Miyawaki concept with forest officials and soon a campaign would be launched to grow mini forests in different cities of the state.

In another major decision, the commissioner stated that the State Finance Commission has agreed to bear the cost of recruiting 'gau sewaks' for the upkeep of government-run cowsheds. Meshram said that now the cow sheds can be easily maintained with the help of MNREGA funds.

There are 554 cow shelter homes in the

Lucknow division

accommodating over 1.88 lakh stray animals.


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