Skip to main content

NGO green warriors' herculean task in Punjab, whose tree cover is lowest in India

By Sudhansu R Das 

The state of Punjab has immensely contributed to India’s freedom struggle. The frontier state worked as an impregnable shield against the marauding foreign invaders. Since independence, the Punjabis have served the Indian army with single-willed dedication, established their business all over the world, and contributed to the sports and agriculture sector.
Being a border state Punjab also suffered a lot during the foreign invasions; Punjab was the worst sufferer at the time of partition. During the green revolution in the late 60s and 70s, Punjab became the granary of India. It happened due to the hard work and strong determination of the Punjabi farmers.
Punjab has also faced the worst effects of the green revolution; the crop diversity of the state was significantly reduced. In the next three decades after the green revolution, Punjab continued to grow mono-crops like wheat and paddy; the farmers used excess chemical fertilizers, spurious seeds, and over-exploited groundwater.
This has reduced agricultural productivity; it pushed farmers to a debt trap that compelled them to commit suicide. As per a Panjab Agriculture University (PAU) study, as many as 9,291 farmers died by suicide between 2000 and 2018 in six districts of Punjab. Recently, drug and liquor addiction among the youth gives nightmares to Punjabi families.
The question is whether Punjab can reweave the social, economic, spiritual, and moral fabric and become India’s happiest and most prosperous state.
There is an awakening among the Punjabis; there is an effort to rebuild Punjab. The Sikh Gurus, social and religious activists are determined to stop liquor and drug addiction among the youth. Educated Punjabi families come forward to stem the rot; they take inspiration from the Guru Granth Saheb, the sacred scripture which has inspired the Sikhs for many centuries.
Many volunteers and Sikh Gurus are now active to save trees and repair the agriculture sector of Punjab as food sufficiency is essential for the growth and prosperity of any state.
The Naroya Punjab Manch, an NGO, is out to make Punjab green again; it chooses the legal route when they need it. The volunteers want to increase the groundwater level, which they think is the first step to repairing the agriculture sector in the state. They aim to plant as many trees as possible, which will improve the air quality, climate, and health of people in the state.
During the green revolution and aggressive deforestation in the subsequent decades, Punjab had depleted its tree cover to an alarming level and converted the state into a torture chamber during the summer season. Only 3.6% of the land area in Punjab has tree cover.
It is an embarrassingly low figure for Punjab, where the Sikh Gurus always laid emphasis on the protection of trees and water bodies. According to NITI Aayog data, Punjab has the lowest forest cover among all states.
The tree warrior activists of the Naroya Punjab Manch are hopeful of bringing back the green cover to Punjab through an awareness campaign and various cultural activities. So far the activists have planted 10,000 saplings, and they are determined to plant several thousands more trees until the aquifer is completely filled up; until the air of the state gets pollution free. The NGO has also supplied more than one lakh saplings to school children.
As a result of aggressive deforestation in decades following green revolution, only 3.6% of  land area in Punjab has tree cover
Now it is increasingly difficult for road contractors to axe trees while building roads or national highways. The volunteers dragged the deforestation issue to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the National Green Tribunal (NGT). If road construction is extremely important, the volunteers allow it and ask for compensation for the destruction of trees.
Many NGOs, intellectuals, social workers, and youth have joined the green movement and they insist authority to replant trees at the time of construction of roads and other projects. Nothing is more important than pure air and groundwater, said Balbinder Kaur, a tree activist of Punjab.
The tree warriors have also taken the village Panchayat into task for cutting trees. In fact, the village Panchayats will be the harbinger of change if they understand the importance of trees in rebuilding Punjab.
The Naroya Punjab Manch has joined hands with other non-governmental organizations to influence political leaders in order to adopt a green agenda; the volunteers insist on written assurances from the political parties stating they would save the environment from further degradation, set up a corpus for tree plantations and stop water contamination.
The green Punjab movement has got the support of many other organizations like the Cancer Roko Sewa Society, Society for Ecological & Environmental Resources (SEER), Eco Sikhs, and Kheti Virasat Mission etc.
Over decades the state has lost a large number of water bodies. The volunteers are out to document the water bodies and they involve local residents to repair the water bodies. Many volunteers opine it is the Sikh tradition and culture to give voluntary service for community good.
The green Punjab movement may restore the most precious assets for human survival- water, clean air, and soil.

Comments

TRENDING

Reducing emission? India among top nations whose coal as energy source going up

By NS Venkataraman*  The State of the Global Climate report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that the year 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global temperature of 1.4 degree celsius above pre-industrial 1850-1900 base line.

Lockdown 'total failure' of science more than of politics: Open letter on 4th anniversary

Counterview Desk  In an open letter to fellow academicians, scientists and medical practitioners in India, marking the fourth anniversary of India's lockdown (25 March 2024), the Managing Committee* of the Universal Health Organisation (UHO) has insisted on the need to "repair two years of immense damage to science".

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor*  Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

'Wrong direction': Paris NGO regrets MNC ArcelorMittal still using coal-based steel

By Rajiv Shah  A new report by Paris-based non-governmental research and campaigning organization, Reclaim Finance, has blamed the MNC ArcelorMittal – formed in 2006 following the takeover and merger of the western European steel maker Arcelor (Spain, France, and Luxembourg) by Indian-owned Mittal Steel – for using use “climate destructive” metallurgical coal for its projects in India.

Attack on foreign students: Gujarat varsity's reputation, ranking at stake, say academics

Counterview Desk  Expressing anguish over the attack on international students in Gujarat University hostels, a letter claimed to have been signed by 122 current and former academics has asked the Gujarat Vice Chancellor, Dr Neerja Gupta, to provide emotional support to the attacked students and to ensure their physical safety.  

Poor private sector engagement 'impacting' carbon pricing policy in Global South

Counterview Desk  The joint report by Environmental Defense Fund and Observer Research Fund, "Navigating Carbon Pricing: The G20 Experience and Global South Prospects", delves into the complex landscape of carbon pricing, examining its application within the G20 nations and the potential implications for emerging economies in the Global South.  The report claims to provide insights and recommendations for effective carbon pricing strategies in diverse economies.  A note: The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Observer Research Foundation (ORF) have launched the Navigating Carbon Pricing: The G20 Experience and Global South Prospects” report. The report delves into the complex landscape of carbon pricing, examining its application within the G20 nations and the potential implications for emerging economies in the Global South. The report offers a comprehensive analysis of various carbon pricing instruments currently in existence, providing valuable i