Citizens Unite To Protect Pune Rivers With Flora Mapping Initiative
Citizens Unite To Protect Pune Rivers With Flora Mapping Initiative
A group of citizens, along with volunteers from Jeevitnadi and Pune River Revival, have embarked on a mission to conserve the city’s rivers by mapping the flora along the Mula river stretch.
The initiative, which began on Wednesday, aims to create a database of the local flora and fauna, which will aid in conservation efforts. Participants, including citizens and experts, walk along the river stretch, take photographs of the local flora, and add them to a database for experts to identify and list.
Amitraj, one of the organizers of the walk, emphasized the importance of citizen participation in conservation efforts. “When more people frequent such areas and talk about pollution and the condition of the river and its surrounding areas, authorities will be under pressure to work towards change,” he said.
During the first walk on Wednesday, participants noticed a good amount of healthy growth along the stretch, including various subspecies of paper mulberry and nests of weaver birds. Disha Sawant, programme manager of big data & AI, sustainability and environment at Pune Knowledge Cluster, said, “Mapping is important for research and urban planning, especially when so many groups conduct plantation drives across the city.”
The initiative aims to make citizens active guardians of stretches within their localities, contributing to the health of the river. Two more walks are scheduled for November 30 and December 1, inviting citizens to join hands in conserving Pune’s rivers.
Interested persons can call on : 9930809046.
