Planting 1,000 saplings in Aurangabad

Eight Rotary clubs of ­Aurangabad, RID 3132 — RCs ­Aurangabad, Aurangabad Elite, Aurangabad ­Central, Aurangabad Midtown, Aurangabad West, Aurangabad Metro, Aurangabad East and  Aurangabad Cantonment — together planted 1,000 saplings along riverbanks in two ­villages, Naigvan and Babhultel, in the Vaijapur taluk near Aurangabad.

“DG Swati Herkal suggested that clubs in our district plant ­saplings near water bodies so that they have sufficient water to grow and the endeavour will help prevent soil ­erosion,” says project coordinator Swati Smart. This initiative, a part of the district’s Jaldhara project, aims to prevent flooding and promote biodiversity. Naigyan and Babhultel are drought-prone villages but during monsoon, the villagers suffer heavy loss due to crop damage as the rivers overflow. Developing greenery will help improve the water table too, says Swati.

The club procured saplings worth ₹25,000 from the Marathwada Rural Development Organisation and with the help of villagers, planted them along the riverbanks. They will be nurtured and maintained by the NGO. In the long run, the fruit-bearing trees such as custard apple, tamarind and bamboo will help enhance the livelihood of the villagers.

The project also aims to empower local communities by forming ­women’s self-help groups to explore income generation opportunities through activities such as paper- ­making, sewing and pod splitting.