Marking World Environment Day, voluntary organisations, Utkarshe Aarohan and Bihan jointly organised a large-scale mangrove plantation drive along the banks of the Matla river at Kaikhali in the Sundarbans.
With the message: “To save the Sundarbans, thousands of Sundari trees will rise along the banks of the Matla river,” the programme aimed to strengthen the region’s natural defence against climate change, cyclones, and riverbank erosion. Thousands of mangrove saplings, including Baine (Avicennia officinalis), Kankra (Bruguiera gymnorhiza), and Sundari (Heritiera fomes), were planted with active participation from local residents.
Anupam Majumder, convenor of Utkarshe Aarohan said that arrangements have been made for the long-term care and protection of the saplings with the support of the Kaikhali Ramakrishna Ashram and local communities. He also expressed his hope that more and more like-minded organisations will come forward for preservation of the mangrove zone of the Sunderbans in future.