Tree plantation Vs post plantation surveillance

Prof N Irabanta Singh *

Nashik Trees near Kangla Fort in the Imphal City :: Pix - Khuraijam Jibankumar

Introduction

The growing concern over protection of the environment has rapidly developed on a worldwide scale resulting into the United Nations Conference on Human Environment held on 1972 at Stockholm. The awareness on the pollution of environment in duced establishment and attention of several agencies like the United Nations Environment Monitoring Systems (UNEMS), the International Referral System (IRS), the United Nations Organization on "Habitat", the world Health Organization (WHO), the world life organisation (WLO) and other bodies dealing with the environmental problem on a global scale.

Every year the 5th June is being observed throughout the globe since 1974 as WED (World Environment Day). It is a clear index and symbiotic of the people's anxiety to keep the environ- ment free from the hazards of the pollution. The environmental consciousness as often synchronised with the tree plantation ceremony or Vana-Mahat Sav.

Tree Plantation as a social function

Nowadays, tree plantation ceremony is performed as a social function in Manipur on any day of June or as a month long programme by the NGOs or concern Manipur Government Departments or so call social workers for political gain. During tree plantation ceremony, the samplings are implanted into the raw/ untreated soil by simply digging up of the area of planting.

After implanting the saplings, the raw soil is refilled with spraying little amount of water followed by taking photographs of the VIPs/ honoured guests who planted the saplings. This is followed by press release by the organiser and subsequent publication at the print media or broadcasting through electronic media such as radio/ TV, etc.

Avoiding allergenic plants from planting

While planting trees in connection with World Environment Day (WED) or Vana-mahatsav, we need to avoid planting of the following allergenic plants:
Alnus nepalansis (Belulaceae);
Cassia fistula (Caesalpiniaceae);
Azadirachta indica (Meliaceae);
Morus alba (Moraceae);
Callistemon linaeris and
Eucalyptus globosa (both belongs to Myrtaceae).

The pollen grains produced by these plants are allergenic to susceptible persons. Allergenic people have an altered capacity to react to potential allergens being hypersensitive to them causing several types of eye, skin and respiratory disorder. Pollen grains of different taxa have a characteristics feature of seasonal pattern of occurrence mostly at the time when they are frequent in the atmosphere.

There are two major types of common respiratory allergic diseases, viz, asthma (allergic lung disease) and hay fever (allergic rhinitis). The reason why pollen caused asthma in some persons and hay fever in other are obscured. Hay fever is inducted by pollen when it comes into contact with the upper respiratory tract, e.g. the nostrils, mouth and eyes causing considerable irritation of the eye immediately following contact with the pollen grains. In contrast, asthma is a lungs disease caused by the inhalation of the pollen grains which get deposited in the uppermost ciliated part of the respiratory tract.

The symptoms of asthmatic reaction develop in the deeper, non-ciliated parts of the lungs with accumulation of fluid and secretions in the terminal bronchiole. The immediate symptom appears following pollen exposure or could be delayed for some time. Entry of inhaled pollen into the lung is regulated in several ways depending on the size of the pollen grains and the diameter of the airways. Inhaled particles with a diameter greater than 30 μm which include almost all pollen grains deposited in the trachea an upper bronchi. The close relationship between pollen frequency and allergy symptoms has been known for more than 100 yrs.

It is also reminded that pollen allergen is not the pollen itself, but factors located on or within it that may induce allergic disease in the form of hypersensitive reaction. Allergens in pollen grains contain protein or glycoproteins which have the properties to elicit the formation in susceptible individual specific skin sensitising or antibodies formation through the body's immune system. Pollen grains when inhaled are responsible for the widespread upper respiratory tract and nasobronchial allergy.

Respiratory disorders caused by pollen grains are defined as a special case of hyper- sensitivity responded by a kind of protein which under favourable condition get discharged from pollen grains. Every sensitive individual respond qualitatively and quantitatively to the different allergenic substances to which one is exposed. It is fortunate that out of the general population only a limited number is predisposed for allergenicity. It is also believed that genetic factors also play an important role.

Post plantation surveillance

Generally, the plantation sites are not prepared before planting of the sapling. As such, the planted saplings find it difficult to acclimatize with new environment. Ever since 1974, a large number of tree saplings are planted by different organizations in Manipur. But it is true that the organizers hardly took little care about post plantation saplings.

As a result the survival rates of planted saplings are very low. Even those saplings planted VVIP/VIP during tree plantation ceremony, the name plates are still remained but the plants with good health are hardly seen. This fact is true even at the Manipur University campus.

About two years back the present writer was one of the persons whose name is still near the planted sapling. But during his recent visit to the plantation sites, the name plates are still remain intact but the plants were in ill health or already dead or completely covered by grasses. These are the fact of those saplings planted with ceremony.

Conclusion

The post plantation surveillance is essential for proper check up of saplings that were planted. If such saplings are taken care of, then tree plantation in Manipur will be meaningful and also avoid planting allergenic plants. It is, therefore, suggested to the organisers of tree plantation to take up follow up action for survival of the planted plants.