To counter cutting of trees due to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh government is stepping up forestation drives not only the countryside but in the urban and semi urban areas especially industrial hubs.
UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) is also playing a vital role by planting saplings in its industrial areas.
UPSIDA has set an ambitious goal of planting 180,000 trees in such industrial areas to develop them as archetypal ‘industrial forests’.
So far, the Authority has developed such green cover over 42,000 acres in industrial areas, townships, and industrial parks, which host more than 26,000 units.
UPSIDA is utilising the Miyawaki technique, a Japanese afforestation method known for its efficiency and rapid results, for urban plantation.
Forests created with Miyawaki technique grow 10 times faster, are 30 times denser, possess 100 times more biodiversity than traditional methods, and can be developed on sites as small as 3 square meters.
Notably, several units in industrial areas have already adopted Miyawaki, such as the BL Agro unit in Bareilly, and Asian Paints and Kent RO Systems in Surajpur.
Similarly, a green park is being maintained in the Kavi Nagar industrial area of Ghaziabad, and the process of establishing a special green park using the Miyawaki technique is ongoing in the Swadeshi Polytech Industrial Park in Ghaziabad.
UPSIDA CEO Mayur Maheshwari said the goal is to ensure sustainable development in all industrial areas while keeping the environment pollution-free.
“Our upcoming plan includes creating green landscapes at the entrances of new industrial models to reduce dust, protect the health of workers and nearby residents, and establish ‘Green Industrial Forests’ in UPSIDA industrial areas,” he remarked.