By Debasmita Rout
Bhubaneswar: With the city temperatures soaring to 46°C in recent weeks, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is turning to an unconventional ally to fight the heat - the forests. In the light of massive deforestation that has taken place in the past few years due to infrastructure development, the BMC is looking at fast-growing urban forests - the Japanese Miyawaki method, which promises to turn barren plots into green havens in just a few years.
In a city that is growing horizontally and vertically adding up to concrete and glass structures, the green Bhubaneswar initiative is the need of the hour though ambitious. After tasting the success of six pilot Miyawaki sites established in 2024, which saw plantation of 20,000 saplings, BMC has now identified 15 more locations for the next phase. It has the objective of planting over 40,000 trees this year alone.
“We have seen indiscriminate growth of concrete jungles and that has amplified the heat crisis,” says BMC Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil. “We plan to reverse the trend through dense, native forests that can grow fast and survive in small spaces,” he adds.
The Miyawaki pioneer Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki conceptualised the process by planting native species close together in the pattern of a natural forest ecosystem. In such places, trees grow faster due to healthy competition and form a self-sustaining canopy soon. Unlike traditional plantation methods, which permit about 1,600 trees per hectare, the Miyawaki model accommodates up to 8,000 trees per hectare, making it ideal for space-starved cities.
In Bhubaneswar, such forests are being grown mostly on unused government plots, roadside spaces and close to public institutions. Among the locations where Miyawaki forests are already up are Nayapalli Hajj area, Patrapada, Kalinga Nagar (K-6), APJ School, and Kalinga Studio. In these forests species like neem, banyan, jamun, bael, kadamba, mango, peepal, jackfruit, and karanja are grown given their biodiversity and sustainability characteristics.
The Miyawaki forests do not only add to the aesthetics but have climate benefits. From the initial assessments it was found that trees in Miyawaki forests have grown taller by 1.5 top 2 feet in comparison to those planted traditionally. Moreover, the Miyawaki forests need less maintenance besides helping regulate microclimates, reduce dust, absorb carbon dioxide and promote groundwater recharge.
The project taken up jointly by the BMC and the Odisha Forest Development Corporation, their teams are ensuring that long-term care through fencing, soil aeration, organic manure, regular watering, and removal of weeds are being taken care of. Miyawaki plots are reviewed regularly by both urban forestry officials and BMC in-charges.
Other than Bhubaneswar, pilot projects have also been taken up in Nabarangpur, Dhenkanal, and Nayagarh.
In this initiative, the city denizens are being encouraged to partner with the BMC which has appealed people to plant trees along roadsides, in office premises, and on any vacant patches of land available near their homes. The officials have expressed hope that with public participation, such projects can be successful and cities transformed into greener zones.
Read More
