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Creating the right environment
By Our Staff Reporter
Students explaining their findings to the Director, Urban Forestry, Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad, Chandra Mohan Reddy, in the Sundaraiah Park on Tuesday.
HYDERABAD
Feb. 17.
It's not among the new parks that the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) proudly showcases to reinforce the city's image as a clean and green one.
The reasons are obvious, as the maintenance looks bad, greenery is not as lush as it's expected to be, aged trees need trimming and a cleanup is badly required.
That's the state of the Sundaraiah Park in Bagh Lingampally. But, even a non-glamorous park too has its uses. It's the only park in the vicinity for the locals and others to relax. It also provides a convenient setting for some of the students of the nearby Himayatnagar's Government High School to learn about environment first hand.
This has become possible thorough a project called `Nandanavanam'. Taken up by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) in association with the MCH, the project aims at taking up nature education activities in about 23 Government High Schools located near 11 select parks in the city. "Our idea is to give a practical orientation to what the children study in their classrooms and teach them to study plant and animal life. The aim is also to sensitise them towards conversation of ecology," says Padma Shanti of the CEE.
And, Government schools have been chosen because of their perceived lack of proper infrastructure, exposure and skills to teach about environment. Hence, prior to field visits by students, the organisation has taken up a three-day training to science and social teachers in schools so that they can impart the same to their pupils.
Tuesday was the `park-level annual meet', where students, after four to five visits during the last four months, shared their findings on the park based on the activities conducted and interaction with corporation officials and visitors. "This park needs more greenery, lot more trees to provide shade during daytime, a few fountains..." reels out Chaitanya, an eighth class student.
"For the first time, we are able to observe what has been taught in the class. In that sense, it has been novel," say Zareena and Durgesh Kumar, her classmates. However, Shanti rues that in several schools the response has been lukewarm and wishes that it be made compulsory. "But, whoever attended were very positive," she hastens to add.
The CEE hopes to submit a report on the findings made by the children and recommendations on the parks' improvement to the MCH soon.
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