Mangrove Day: Reliance Foundation intensifies coastal resilience building efforts in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: To mitigate climate risks and protect the environment, residents of Padmapur village in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district initiated the planting of 10,000 mangrove plants along the village’s coastline on Friday. Marking the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem (July 26), the plantation is being facilitated by Reliance Foundation, which has enabled the planting of nearly 60,000 mangrove plants in Odisha and West Bengal over the past year.

Reliance Foundation, through its Disaster Management programme, initiated mangrove plantation efforts in cyclone and storm-surge vulnerable areas in Balasore, Ganjam and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha on World Environment Day 2023 through its Plant4Life campaign. The 1999 Super Cyclone, Phailin and other cyclones that struck India’s east coast have been devastating for these villages which are also witnessing coastline erosion and seawater ingress. Driven by communities, Reliance Foundation’s mangrove initiative aims to enhance awareness of the benefits of mangroves among various groups, especially the youth and school-going children.

On July 25 and 26, speech, drawing and quiz competitions were held in Bhadrak, Balasore and Jagatsinghpur in Odisha and in North 24 Parganas of West Bengal to acquaint high school students with the climate challenges their areas are witnessing. These programmes emphasised how mangroves can help address these challenges and stressed the importance of conserving and increasing mangrove cover.

In Kharasahapur, the plantation site in Balasore, the community successfully raised a mangrove nursery over the past year to ensure a high-rate of mangrove plant survival and a steady supply of material for planting. Reliance Foundation facilitated knowledge transfer from scientific experts, sourcing mangrove plant material and guided the community in plantation management.

A second plantation site in Balasore in Remuna near Talapada beach was recently identified. About 1,000 mangrove saplings were planted in this location on Friday by community volunteers.

Reliance Foundation works with vulnerable coastal communities in to reduce disaster risk and to make livelihoods climate-resilient. Early warning alerts are disseminated during times of disasters and the capacity to respond to such events is enhanced in communities through regular engagement and trainings. Reliance Foundation has responded to more than 50 disasters across India in the past 10 years, such as floods, cyclones, landslides and earthquakes, bringing relief to people affected and helping them recover. As part of its efforts to ensure environment welfare and make communities climate-resilient, Reliance has facilitated the planting of more than 2.44 crore saplings across the country.