Astaranga: A mangrove plantation drive and community awareness programme was recently held along the Devi river mouth wetlands in Puri district’s Astaranga block. Over 55 local residents—including women, fishermen, youth, and leaders from Alasa hi and Jhadling Gram Panchayats—joined Odisha Environmental Society (OES) members to plant 1,000 mangrove saplings (Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Rhizophora, and Avicennia marina) along the riverbanks. The event was attended by senior OES members, including Secretary Manoranjan Mishra, executive committee member Bimal Dash, and Rama Chandra Tripathy.
Addressing the gathering, Mishra praised the community’s efforts and announced OES’s formal support for the Odisha Paryavaran Sanrakshan Abhiyan (OPSA) and its ambitious “One Million Man groves by 2030” mission—a pioneering initiative launched years ago in collaboration with Dharitri and OrissaPost. Guest speaker Dibakar Chhatoi, Astaranga block representative to the Jagatsinghpur MP, praised the partnership between the OES and the local coastal community. He highlighted the region’s vulnerability to climate pressures and the ongoing fallout from the 1999 super cyclone, emphasising that mangroves act as a crucial natural buffer while boosting local fishing livelihoods.
Alongside the plantation drive, Ramesh Panda, Mamata Dash, Sujata Mishra, Sarita Panda, and Mamata Tripathy led an interactive biodiversi ty session and quiz for local schoolchildren. The event also brought together OPSA Trust managing trustee Soumya Ranjan Biswal, Sabuja Sakha president Ramakant Bastia, social activists Prashant Kumar Nayak and Kedar Kumar Mohanty, OPSA trustee Siba Prasad Mallick, and numerous local community members.
