SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Sept 26: The Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, IIT Indian School of Mines (ISM) has developed a Matka Plantation Recharge Technique (MPRT) to grow plants in rain-scarce areas.
Prof Anshumali, Head of the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, IIT ISM said that in this technique water is filled in earthen pots and then buried in the ground near the roots of trees or plants. A small hole is made in the pot through which water drips drop by drop and goes to the roots of plants.
“The roots of plants get water as per requirement and thus the plant remains green,” said Prof Anshumali. He added that the Matka Plantation Recharge Technique is a nature-based solution to environmental problems, especially restoration of mined-out areas, river fronts, degraded forest land, hilly terrains, and agroforestry in rainfed areas.
Prof Anshumali, who is also the coordinator of the Environmental Information Awareness, Capacity Building and Livelihood Programme ( EICAP-PC-RP), said, a demonstration of the Matka groundwater recharge technique was given by Hemlal Mahato, an enterprising farmer of Giridih district on June 23, 2023, at IIT ISM in the presence of associate professors of the department, Prof BK Mishra and Prof Suresh Pandian.
“The 20 cm size of the seed planted during the demonstration was grown into a 1.5-meter plant within three months,” he said.
Prof Anshumali, who is one of the members of the Jharkhand state’s Reduction Emission from Deforestation Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD) said the MPTR is a very low-cost technique to achieve Reduction Emission from Deforestation Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD +) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) made by Government of India.
