BHUBANESWAR: A seed ball bombing programme was organised by a team Rebuild Odisha near Dhauligiri here recently. With the co-operation of forest division of the city, the team tossed around 5,000 seeds on the outskirts of Dhauli.
Around 40 volunteers from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri participated in the unique initiative of forest restoration. Interacting with Orissa Post, Pravakar Biswal from OPSA said, “Among multiple initiatives to improve the green cover of a region, making and distributing seed balls is quicker and more cost-effective. Hence, it is an emerging afforestation technique adopted worldwide, most commonly used for ecological restoration.”
“A seed ball (or seed bomb) is a seed that has been wrapped in soil materials, usually a mixture of clay and compost, and then dried. Seed balls are a planting method that protects the seeds until the time is right for them to grow. Seed pelleting techniques were developed long ago and have been practiced successfully in many parts of the world including ancient Rome and China,” he added.
The procedure has many benefits like restoring greenery, providing better oxygen levels, reducing pollution, lowering soil erosion and increasing ground water levels.
Forest Officer’s Wives Association and Forest and Environment department, Government of Odisha are supporting the team in this unique technique of plantation. The team has already tossed about 50,000 seed balls in cyclone affected sites like Nimapara, Satyabadi, Puri and Satapada.
