They brought nature back into Karnataka's Hubballi
Not many would believe that Nrupatunga Betta, the green paradise of Hubballi, was a barren, rocky landscape just two decades ago.
The seeds of transformation were sown by Dr Mahantesh C Tapashetti. As many as 44 nature lovers led by this ENT surgeon have formed a group called 'Go Green HD' and planted over 40,000 trees in more than 20 years.
A majority of the morning walkers at this hillock covering an area of 77 acres have participated in one or the other greening activity, be it planting or watering a plant.
Hubballi residents have noticed a gradual revival of the ecosystem with a wide range of flora and fauna inhabiting the place. Apart from walkers, it has been attracting nature and travel enthusiasts in recent years.
Dr Tapashetti is given credit for bringing a ‘dead hill’ back to life.
“When I came here in 1985 as an ENT doctor, I used to get a lot of cases with atrophic rhinitis. One of the main reasons for this condition was dry air. There was no proper medication for this apart from breathing fresh cool air,” says the 70-year-old doctor. Hubballi, back then lacked such lung space.
“Of all the places I scouted for in Hubballi, Nrupatunga Betta seemed the most promising and since then, I have been planting saplings here,” he says. Dr Tapashetti believes that everyone who breathes has the responsibility to plant trees, “Which is why I don’t mind calling any stranger walking at the Betta to plant a sapling,” he says.
“Alone I can plant only a few saplings, but together we have developed a mini jungle here,” he says and adds that the majority of his group members are college students and retired persons.
Dinesh Bhat, the owner of the Pragathi Book store, is one such ‘invitee’ who went on to become a regular member of the ‘Go Green HD’.
“I was interested in planting saplings, but was not aware of how to go about it. One day, during my morning walk, Dr Tapashetti called me for help and since then, we have planted several trees here,” he said.
Beyond numbers
For Go Green HD, it is not just how many trees they plant during the rainy season that counts, but also how many trees they manage to get to the flowering and fruiting stage.
“Considering its rocky terrain and lack of water facilities, we selected trees such as fig, banyan and other ficus varieties whose roots can penetrate even in rocky surfaces, and native trees. We intentionally avoided fruit and flower trees used by humans,” says Dr Tapashetti.
The team members spent their money to buy truckloads of fertile soil and manure for the saplings and to dig borewells. As the brown piece of land started turning green, in 2013, the State government sanctioned Rs one crore for the development of the hill. Through this, the members of the group, with the help of district administration, secured the public land by fencing it.
A well-asphalted road and pathway within the hill was also laid for tourists to visit.
The ticket money collected from visitors is now being used for maintenance of a park set up within the hill and for the salaries of workers.
Now, rainwater harvesting ensures that the members are able to grow more trees.
This initiative has inspired several others to plant saplings in their neighbourhood. One such person is Srikanth Havanoor, a retired bank manager and a walker at the betta, who has not only planted trees at the hill, but also in his locality.
“Dr Tapashetti taught us the scientific method of planting a sapling and nurturing it,” said Srikanth. He added that every day a few members of the team visit the betta and observe the trees.
Dr Tapashetti wants to develop a botanical garden at the hill and increase the green cover here using the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki's method of growing dense, native forests in a short time.
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