Residents tend to coconut saplings at lake

Lake facelift

Appalled at the Rs 100-150 charged by the juice centres for tender coconut water, residents around the Seegehalli Lake have decided to plant coconut trees near the rejuvenated lake.

The citizens at the KR Puram limits of East Bengaluru also went on a 30-day coconut sapling maintenance challenge that received an overwhelming response with scores of volunteers supporting the initiative.

At a time when the rest of the city has taken to planting thick canopy, fruit-bearing trees, the residents’ choice to plant coconut trees around the lake has caught the attention of many.

“We wouldn’t like our progenies to cough up Rs 100-150 for tender coconuts at the juice centres,” said Balaji Raghottam, realtor and a local resident. “Instead, let them savour the coconuts from the trees here. We also wanted people to rediscover their passion for scaling coconut trees.”

Last week, ten volunteers in the locality watered the saplings planted a month ago around the lake. “We removed the weeds around the root areas and filled the seedlings with manure. About 200 saplings have been planted with the help of United Bengaluru volunteers,” said a volunteer.

To their disappointment, 10 saplings perished due to inadequate nurturing. “We didn’t want the other saplings to go as well. We spread the word and planned to dedicate 30 days for the upkeep of the saplings. Each morning, we attended to the saplings in shifts and batches,” Balaji said.

Techie and local resident Vishwanath Reddy said the coconut planting drive has helped the BBMP and other volunteer groups who maintain the vegetation around the lake.