Christian College, Chengannur

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Introduction

2023: Garbage dump turned into mini forest ecosystem

SAM PAUL A., April 4, 2023: The Hindu

Visiting the lush green Shanthisthal at a quiet corner of the 22-acre Christian College campus at Chengannur in Alappuzha district, it is hard to imagine that the place was once a stinking garbage dumping ground.

Today, it resembles a teeming forest ecosystem with trees, plants, small mammals, snakes and chirping birds. Its transformation, which began almost a decade ago, is a source of pride for Biji Abraham, an Assistant Professor of economics at the Christian College, and the institution’s biodiversity club. The mini-forest on 0.15 acres of land is home to 176 trees and plants of 116 species, even several rare, endangered and threatened ones.

Biodiversity grove

“It had become a dead plot after several feet of earth was removed during the construction of the college ground. The people from outside dumped waste there for several years. The dump was close to the women’s hostel and the stench became unbearable. We decided to transform it into a biodiversity grove in 2013 under the Biodiversity Conservation Project of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board,” says Mr. Abraham, who is also the in-charge of the college Biodiversity Club.

Truckloads of waste were removed with the help of the Chengannur municipality. Later, the land was prepared using earth movers. In the initial year, 74 plants with medicinal values were planted. “The following year, we planted trees associated with the 27 ‘nakshatras’ as per the Hindu religious faith. It was followed by planting of flowering plants, exotic fruits and other species,” says Mr. Abraham, who acknowledges the support of students in developing the green patch.

An ardent nature lover, Mr. Abraham lives close to the campus and this helped him maintain Shanthisthal by regularly watering the plants and applying fertilizers until they attained a certain growth.

Apart from students of Christian College, the place is frequented by students and researchers from other colleges and universities. “We are glad that Shanthisthal has become a microhabitat. Researchers arrive here to collect specimens. Students also come to study about fungi and diseases that affect plants. Last year, a group of students from Mahatma Gandhi University visited the grove to separate alkaloids with anti-cancerous properties from Desmodium longipes,” he says.

After the setting up of the mini-forest, the college campus recorded about 30 bird species and several butterfly, ant and spider species.

The club last year set up a vidyavanam based on the Miyawaki concept on 0.05 acres of land. It houses 448 trees and 149 plant species.