HILLY areas denuded for the
sake of development can
now be greened again,
thanks to a new technology
evolved by the G B Pant
Institute of Himalayan Environment
and Development, Almora under the
aegis of the ministry of environment and forests.
The Sloping Watershed Environmental Engineering Technology
(SWEET) as the new method is called ,
packs a handful. It checks soil erosion,
maintains fertility, increases crop productivity, promotes cash fruit and fodder crops and stores rainwater. Putting a
stop to open grazing with community
consent and installation of small
check dams for harvesting rainwater
are the other principles governing the technology.
Places like Khaijhuni and Arab in
Almora district, Sole and Banaswar in
Chamoli district, Mamlay in Sikkim and
Chimliang in Nagaland have already
benefited from the use Of SWEET. It has
proved most effective in the mid-altitude zone of 500 meter (m) to 1,500 m;
these are the regions which are thickly
populated and also have had to bear the brunt of deforestation.
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