Nexus of Good: Riverside renaissance

For a very long time, there used to be a lot of open dumping of non-segregated waste from the industrial town of Paonta Sahib into the forest land along the river banks, leading to degradation and foul smell as well as being hazardous for nearby inhabitants. The Forest Department had initiated strict action in 2022, with fines on open dumping. A plan was approved to convert this area into a green space by then District Forest Officer, Kunal Angrish, with local administration also pitching in. When Aishwarya Raj, a young Indian Forest Service Officer, took charge of the Division in February 2023, he put his heart and soul into this project. He had previously worked on eco-restoring a dumpyard to a green-zone in 2021 (Sangam Swarnim Vatika in Parvati Forest Division). This was subsequently scaled to Shamshi Nagar Van (riverfront along Beas) the previous year in Parvati. He had also worked on Beas Bihal Nature Park, Manali, in 2020, adding edutainment themes and concepts to Mohal Nature Park in 2021 & 2022. He also helped create Himachal's 1st Wood Museum in Shamshi early in January 2023, along with rejuvenation of wood-based industry there.

The task at Paonta Sahib was much more complex because Paonta Sahib is at the cusp of four states: Himachal, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and UP. It entailed handling multiple issues, including sand-mining, smuggling, illicit felling, conducting night raids, human-wildlife conflicts, silviculture management, and dealing with decades-old litigation matters. Budget provisioning was ensured through the convergence of schemes — NCAP (through Pollution Control Board), DMFT (through Mining Dept.), and General Department Scheme (for nearby riverine plantation).

While physical works, including pavements/paths for the park, began in February 2023, the initial period was consumed in drafting the Forest Division's 650+ pages, 10-year detailed document of the Working Plan and dealing with crucial litigation matters, human-elephant conflicts, and approval of Project Elephant. The eco-restoration work could begin only from October-November. However, an intensive exercise on waste removal, segregation, and soil leveling was carried out in June itself. The idea was to create a space that blended forested space (Miyawaki) with an open green area for recreation, walking, bird watching, etc. The team primarily comprised the field staff of Paonta Forest Range. Range Officer Mohan Singh, Block Officer Sumant, Forest Guards Muddasir, Anwar, Ranbir along with enthusiastic and meticulous forest workers Jasbir, Kishan, and others, ACF Suprabhat Thakur & HPFS Probationer Aditya (who did a great job with content creation), and some nearby conscious local citizens put in days and nights together in creating the green space for the citizens of Paonta Sahib in the new year of 2024. It was almost like one big family working against time to deliver the ecological new year gift for the people of Paonta Sahib!

Various thematic sections for the riverfront were planned. These were eventually developed – landscape approach with ecological considerations of restoration (use of native species for Miyawaki) and edutainment models for visitors along with waste-to-wonder uses like the elephant sculpture using plastic waste! These concepts inside the park included:

❋ Miyawaki zone with 100+ trees of native species, both forestry and fodder ones, including ornamentals, and trees for the canopy layer, middle layer, and lower/shrub layer (Gulmohar, Amaltas, Dhak, Arjun, Kanak Champa, Khair, Papri, Baheda, Semul, Neeli Gulmohar, Harshringar, Basuti, Bach, etc., and some endemic ones disappearing from our forests, including Sandan, Tat Patanga, etc.). Ecotone area planting was also considered, with a focus on ensuring that native species get their rightful space to bloom in the coming years. Before planting, proper soil preparation was done using fertile forest soil, vermicompost, organic waste, and coco-peat for retaining moisture. The zone is expected to significantly increase the carbon sequestration potential of the otherwise degraded area in some years from now.

❋Story of Yamuna & Yamuna Water Regime section: Conveyed through 3-D artwork as well as edutainment boards regarding the story of Yamuna from the source Yamunotri to its confluence with Ganga in Prayagraj, tracing Paonta Sahib, Delhi, Agra, Mathura in between, along with the flora and fauna and changes in landscape/forest types. The section shall also depict the Yamuna Water Basin along with the challenges of pollution and the abatement strategies from a citizen's point of view, as well as the depiction of Yamuna in Indian culture through the years.

❋Gaj-Selfie Point: Depiction of life-size mother and baby Asiatic elephants describing their recent movement in Paonta Sahib from the forests of Uttarakhand, dos and don'ts regarding human-elephant conflicts, and awareness regarding elephant conservation. The recycling technique also came to use as the local sculptor used the plastic waste and bottles collected at the dump-yard to make the statues. The view captures the sunset perfectly between the mother and the baby, where visitors can pose with the Uttarakhand hills in the backdrop! 'Project Elephant' is also going to be introduced for the first time in the state of Himachal Pradesh after the proposal got approved this August by MoEFCC, and the idea of the elephant sculptures was to invoke a sense of warmth and understanding among citizens towards these gentle and very intelligent giants for increased public support in dealing with wildlife conflicts!

❋ Arogya Vatika section (medicinal and ethano-botanical species, including Aloe Vera, Kachoor, Buch, etc., along with educating people about their uses).

❋ Cactus section, resting benches, Kids section (upcoming with natural rocks and logs), and various viewpoints.

❋ Bird watching walkway: To put on the binoculars and observe the huge variety of avian visitors, including migratory ones such as Brahminy, Common Teal, Ruddy Shelduck, Red-crested Pochard, Pintail, Shoveller, Coot, Cormorant, Egrets, etc., along with creating 2 bird houses near the riverfront. Interestingly, Assan Bird Sanctuary is also just a few kilometers upstream in Uttarakhand; therefore, winters become a haven for the migratory species to seek the warmth of Yamuna.

❋ Meditation point and Victorian lighting along the riverfront, CCTVs for safety monitoring.

❋ Theme-based landscaping and planting sections of various species, including Bamboo, Areca Palm, Cypress, Champa, Ashoka, and flowering species.

❋ Natural landscaping; using river stones and shrubs, hedges, and grassing.

❋ Nature awareness boards covering various aspects of the themes: Including Cat family of HP, Pheasants of Himachal Pradesh, Tree Trivia, Birds of Paonta Sahib, Ethno-botanical species, Elephant awareness, and dos/don'ts in conflicts, Miyawaki technique, and benefits, etc.

The riverfront development is expected to be a sensitive blend for visitors for recreation as well as for younger generations to view Yamuna as the great provider that needs to be preserved and kept clean. It shall also help in building future ecotourism linkages and scaling up to a full-fledged town walkway/cycling track all along the river. What this young forest officer, Aishwarya Raj, and his committed team have achieved is a wonderful example of Nexus of Good. The model is replicable and scalable through public-private partnership.

Views expressed are personal