Greening Garo Hills launched by A'chik Tourism Society

From Staff Correspondent

Shillong, June 28: A motivated and noble venture of A’chik Tourism Society (ATS) - “Greening Garo Hills” was launched at a function at Gondenggre village, about 30 kms from Tura.

Greening Garo Hills is a project that ATS has taken up to increase the green cover in all the five districts of Garo Hills and to afforest the catchment areas.

The project kick started with the adoption of Gondenggre village as a Green Village. President, ATS, Pangrak Rafus Momin, in his keynote address highlighted the objectives of ATS and elaborated on the project. He said that the village is being adopted as a Green Village because the area, though has a considerable lush green cover, some varieties of old species of trees have been lost because of jhumming and tree felling. He informed that the flash floods in September last year have affected thousands of people due to deforestation along the Ringgi valley which has also resulted in massive erosion and landslides. He urged the villagers to take care of and look after each and every sapling that has been planted and to construct bamboo barricades.

A village elder in his address mentioned about an issue that the village is facing. He informed that a particular pesticide called “cross crab” is being sold in the market. This pesticide is being used by some people and it is having a disastrous effect on the streams and rivers, killing and destroying aquatic life.

Mary Cornelia K Marak, Executive Member, interacting with the participants said that it is the duty of everyone to take care of the environment with its rivers, wildlife, resources and forests. She said that forests are the heart of ecology that the problems of climate change, lower levels of water table, soil erosion, extinction and depletion of flora and fau are all outcomes of deforestation. She added that when the problem of deforestation is taken care of, other related issues can be mitigated to a considerable extent and said that conservation of forests does not mean they should not be used for economic purposes but should be used efficiently and in a way that does not endanger the ecological balance and does not destroy the home of wild animals. She later administered the pledge to all gathered for the occasion.

General secretary, ATS, Dipu N Marak later informed that Gondenggre is the last village in the Matabeng villages of Garo Hills where the traditiol animistic religion Songsarek and Wangala is still practiced. “The village still has few indigenous musicians with the traditiol skill for making some of the indigenous musical instruments of the Garos. In order to ensure that this village remains as the hot spot of A’chik culture, ATS has decided to adopt the village as a Green Village. Environment Day should not only be on June 5. Everyday should be an environment day,” he said. He said in the next few months, ATS would be coming up with an ambitious project of plantation in all districts of Garo Hills.

Later, members of ATS along with the villagers planted saplings in the village and in the catchment areas of river Ringgi. The villages pledged that they will not graze their livestock in the plantation area. Prior to the community plantation, the members of ATS dedicated few saplings to the young children of the village to instill in them a sense of belonging and oneness with the forests continuing the practice of the A’chik forefathers who always encouraged tree plantation and people were remembered through the trees they planted. The village headman, members of local youth clubs and a large number of villagers participated in the plantation programme with great enthusiasm.