Incredible Transformation! This Bengaluru-Based Engineer Turns Landfill Into Forest By Planting 60,000 Saplings

Around 30 Km from Bengaluru, a 210 ft quarry pit is now set to come back to the life of people by the determination and dedication of a Mechanical Engineer. Anand Malligavad who comes from Koppan and now lives in South Bengaluru's Begur has planted over 60,000 saplings in an effort to covert the landfill into a thick forest.

Malligavad quit his job in 2019 and is now working to restore the landfill areas into a thick forest. He is experienced in rejuvenating lakes and landfills as in his previous company, he worked under similar Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects.

The S Bingipura land was used to dump waste, leading to a landfill. It was occupied with toxic gases and high levels of chemicals. For around the last couple of months, Anand, along with like-minded people and Save Trees NGO, have planted over 1,000 to 2,000 saplings every day.

Aim To Plant About 2 Lakh Saplings

As a result of consistent effort, around 60,000 saplings have been planted. It is a great relief for the people around Bingipura land as they can again breathe fresh air. Anand and his team aim to plant about 2 lakh saplings in the coming time. A group of people has also been hired to take care of the saplings and water them regularly.

Anand Malligavad said, "The aim is to plant about 2 lakh saplings and make it the Miyawaki forest model of Japan. We also have hired people to water the saplings and take care of them. Since this place cannot be used for any other purpose, I along with people decided to convert this into a forest and make this a lung space in Bengaluru South," reported The New Indian Express.

Residents who have been living there for the last couple of decades have mentioned that a deplorable condition used to be created by rainwater filling up the quarry. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) used to dump the city's waste in the pit. The people started complaining that it gave rise to water-borne, vector-borne diseases and breathing issues.

Efforts Lauded By Administration

Hailing the joint effort of Anand and the team, the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru, J Manjunath, also visited the transformed area and planted saplings to laud the efforts made. The government of India also praises the much-appreciated work, and many eminent personalities have visited the place to witness the incredible transformation of the landfill into a thick forest.

Anand didn't stop with just one project of rejuvenation, he continued his efforts and has transformed more than 10 lakes across the state of Karnataka.

Anand Malligavad, the mechanical engineer, decided to work on their rejuvenation, and has so far rejuvenated 11 lakes. Unstoppable, he has set a goal of rejuvenating 45 lakes across Bengaluru by 2025.

— Ministry of Jal Shakti 🇮🇳 #AmritMahotsav (@MoJSDoWRRDGR) May 24, 2022

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