Vadodara: Coconuts that had raked up a controversy at Pavagadh recently after the Mahakali temple trust and district administration banned offering of peeled coconuts are emerging as a major contributor to the greenery on the hill.
The forest department is getting cocopeat made from its husks and using it for plantation.
Thousands of dried coconuts are offered at the Mahakali temple every day. These also lead to a lot of coconut husk at shops as well as the stand where the coconuts are broken. The husk causes litter and, at times, even fire in the jungles at Pavagadh when people sets them afire to dispose these of.
The forest department in coordination with the temple trust has started making cocopeat from coconut fibre. It has installed machines for converting the peels to cocopeat. Cocopeat can store moisture and is light in weight. It is an ideal material for growing saplings and is gaining popularity.
The Chhotardivav Van Vikas Sahabhagi Mandali, self-help group, has been roped in by the department for manufacturing of cocopeat. It was given money in instalments by the temple trust for the project. The project was kicked off in August last year.
The forest department has planted 42,000 saplings in 10 hectares of land around Navlakhi Kothar, 32,000 saplings in 20 hectares of land at the foothills of Pavagadh and 2,500 saplings on the road to Maachi using cocopeat. In the coming days, it will be planting 11,111 saplings around the Mahakali temple as well as 4,444 around the dining hall being developed by the temple trust.
To ensure plantation in terrains of the mountain that are difficult to reach, the forest department will also be using cocopeat in seed balls. In the future, it may even sell cocopeat that it can spare.
Presently 15 to 20kg cocopeat is manufactured daily that sustains eight to 10 families in the process.
The forest department is getting cocopeat made from its husks and using it for plantation.
Thousands of dried coconuts are offered at the Mahakali temple every day. These also lead to a lot of coconut husk at shops as well as the stand where the coconuts are broken. The husk causes litter and, at times, even fire in the jungles at Pavagadh when people sets them afire to dispose these of.
The forest department in coordination with the temple trust has started making cocopeat from coconut fibre. It has installed machines for converting the peels to cocopeat. Cocopeat can store moisture and is light in weight. It is an ideal material for growing saplings and is gaining popularity.
The Chhotardivav Van Vikas Sahabhagi Mandali, self-help group, has been roped in by the department for manufacturing of cocopeat. It was given money in instalments by the temple trust for the project. The project was kicked off in August last year.
The forest department has planted 42,000 saplings in 10 hectares of land around Navlakhi Kothar, 32,000 saplings in 20 hectares of land at the foothills of Pavagadh and 2,500 saplings on the road to Maachi using cocopeat. In the coming days, it will be planting 11,111 saplings around the Mahakali temple as well as 4,444 around the dining hall being developed by the temple trust.
To ensure plantation in terrains of the mountain that are difficult to reach, the forest department will also be using cocopeat in seed balls. In the future, it may even sell cocopeat that it can spare.
Presently 15 to 20kg cocopeat is manufactured daily that sustains eight to 10 families in the process.