National 8 (Spotlight Weekly)

Green Gusto

The SEF is actively engaged in its Project Green Kathmandu planting trees and setting up green belts. To mark King's birthday, it planted Gingko trees in Tundikhel

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

In its quest to turn Kathmadnu valley into a green city, SEF, an NGO, has been actively carrying out several projects for the last one-decade collecting fund by mobilizing the institutions.

Since 1994, SEF has set up ten green belts and five green gardens in places like Bhadrakali, Guheshwori, Ring road and park in front of Birendra International Conventions.

PM at the program : Green campaign

To mark the auspicious 57th birthday of King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, SEF along with another environmental NGO called Love Green Nepal (LGN), organized a tree plantation program in the Royal Nepal Army Pavilion in Tundikhel. Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa inaugurated the tree plantation program at a special function on July 8, 2003.

Around 300 trees of rare Gingko Biloba species were planted in the places like RNA Pavilion, Tundikhel, Army Headquarters and Bhadrakali road.

"These Gingko trees are rare and are effective in controlling the pollution near their vicinities. Likewise, they will add to the beauty of the city," said Chanda Rana, president of the SEF at the program. " We want to plant more trees in the valley."

The SEF and LGN chose Tundikhel to start their tree plantation program because of the centrality of its location. "Tundikhel is the only open space at the heart of Kathmandu city. This ground has its own historic, cultural, political, social and environmental significance. By taking these importance of Tundikhel into consideration, SEF and LGN have joined their hands to organize tree plantation," said Amira Dali, general secretary of the LGN. The LGN had provided saplings of Gingko trees worth Rs 600,000 for the program.

The SEF and RNA headquarters will look after the trees jointly. Kathmandu municipality will also lend its hand.

"The history of avenue trees in Nepal is associated with the history of Tundikhel as the national parade ground of Nepal. The streets around Tundikhel are lined up with trees from all over the world but none from Nepal itself. The silk oak, the celtis, the camphor tree, the eucalyptus, the bottlebrush, the jacaranda, the poplars, the thuja (white cedar) and other coniferous trees around Tundikhel are all introduced guest trees of Nepal. Two stunted gingko trees were Tran located from Tundikhel to the Royal Botanical Garden, Godawari recently," said Dr. Tirtha B. Shrestha, member of Royal Nepal Academy.

According to Dr. Shrestha, the survival of Gingko trees on this planet is an illustrious example of the fact that human hands have a distinctive role in species conservation. "The Gingko would have become extinct like dinosaurs in the process of geological cataclysms had it was not being protected in the monasteries of China and Japan by Buddhist monks. Today it is spread all over the world not only as a living heritage from the Jurassic era of dinosaurs (213 million years ago) but also as a bearer of hope for peace and security ever since a Hiroshima tree survived the atomic bomb of World War II. Surely, it survived the atomic bomb but certainly it won't survive human negligence after it is planted on the ground. It needs love and care," said Dr. Shrestha.

According to Dali, there are 60 to 70 Gingko trees in Kathmandu valley. "The LGN is engaged in production and spread of the trees, which will add to the beauty of the city," she said.

Meanwhile, SEF has a number of programs lined up for the coming days. "With the objective of making Kathmandu a city of green parks and gardens, the SEF will build Prithvi Bir Bikram garden in Tinkune this year. The garden will have the statue of King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah and fountain with colorful lights," said Chanda Rana. Likewise, the SEF will create green gardens in six corners of Tundikhel.

"Because of growing urbanization and industrial pollution, the city is turning into concrete jungle. Our project Green Kathmandu is aimed at beautifying the city," said Rana.