The first severe cyclonic storm of the 2019 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Fani has devastated Odisha causing huge loss to infrastructure and livelihood. Over 50 lakh trees in Balukhand Sanctuary on Puri-Konark Road Marine drive, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and the other parts of Odisha have been uprooted. With an objective to regain the greenery in urban and rural areas in Puri, Khordha, Cuttack and other severely affected districts of Odisha, one of India’s renowned hospitality chain Kamat Hotel India Ltd has taken the initiative of planting 10 lakh trees through seed balls to help rebuild the forest cover of the state.
The seed balls are made from mud, organic compost, and seeds. The advantage of these seed balls is that it can be thrown anywhere where there is land to grow, provided that the soil isn’t too dry compact, or dense with other vegetation. Also, these seed balls are easy to plant as compared to saplings.
Talking about the initiative to give back the environment, Executive Chairman and Managing Director of Kamat Hotels India Ltd Dr. Vithal Venkatesh Kamat said, “We are dispatching 10 lakh seed balls from Mumbai alone to Odisha before the onset of the monsoon to ensure they bloom into magnificent trees. This is our way of giving back to Odisha, where we’ve operating Lotus Eco Beach Resort Konark, Mahodadhi Palace Puri & Vits Bhubaneshwar for the past 10 years. This is our home and we’ll try our best to rebuild its green cover.”
“On behalf of the people of Maharashtra, it’s our contribution to plant trees in Odisha, as One Nation One Family. We are grateful to all the school children, societies, NGOs and hotel guests who participated in this noble cause. All seeds are native to India and Odisha and will help birds and animals in the region as they are grass and fruit-bearing,” Kamat added.
The cyclonic storm Fani originated from a tropical depression that formed west of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean on April 26. Vertical wind shear at first hindered the storm’s development, but conditions became more favourable on April 30. Fani rapidly intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm and reached its peak intensity on May 2, as a high-end extremely severe cyclonic storm and the equivalent of a high-end Category 4 major hurricane.
Video Courtesy: OTV
