Sunday, 06 June 2021 | PNS | New Tehri
While ceremonial tree plantations and discussions were held to mark the World Environment Day on Saturday, a few people like villager Gopal Bahuguna took action and began planting trees about two decades ago which have been nurtured into a jungle in the village. Resident of Sabli village in Tehri district, Bahuguna succeeded in converting a patch of barren land into a jungle on his own.
The 52 year old has been working for the conservation of forests for the past 30 years. He had started planting oaks at Saud Tok in 1990 which have now developed into a wooded area. Bahuguna was 20 years old when he realised the importance of trees and the environment. He used to hear from the elderly in the house that the water level was going down in the ground and that it was important to plant oak trees to deal with this problem. Bahuguna
decided to first plant bamboo in the fields. They had a small piece of ancestral land which was left without being cultivated for a long time. He sowed the seeds of oak on this barren land. He nurtured the saplings till they grew into a small jungle. This wooded area is now abuzz with the sounds of various birds. Bahuguna says that he faced a lot of challenges in the early days, but he did not give up. He always did his best to save the forest from the menace of forest fires and the occasional drought.
