Growing an urban forest in Bengaluru, at a fraction of the cost

Miyawaki is a technique in which one can build dense, native forests, 10 times faster than a traditional forest. It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area, and becomes maintenance-free after the first three years.
While a lot has been written and documented about this method of urban forestation, it can be quite expensive, which means that it is not feasible in many parts of the country.So, in 2019, the then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), Sridhar Punati, tried out a cost-effective variant of the Miyawaki method at Agara Lake. Not only is it cheaper, but it also requires minimal human intervention. Cut to two years later, he is surprised at how well the mini forest is growing.


Sridhar was aware of the amount of work required in the Miyawaki method, but didn’t think that it was all necessary. So, using logic and knowledge, he tried something different at Agara Lake — and it worked!
“The Miyawaki technique requires a lot of work, such as digging the area, importing soil and fertiliser, using coco peat and compost etc., which makes it very costly — as much as Rs 300-Rs 350 per sq ft of planting area. I didn’t think that so much effort was necessary. In Miyawaki, three saplings are planted at every one meter — that is very intensive, and probably okay in a rainforest. We planted one sapling every meter. This was a mix of local species and those from the Western Ghats. All we did was dig a pit, plant the saplings and applied some fertilisers initially to boost growth. There is no irrigation or other form of intervention. I was pleasantly surprised with the growth when I recently visited the lake after two years, and happy that my experiment was successful,” says Sridhar, who is now retired.

Kavitha Reddy, a key member of the Agara Lake Volunteers — a group that has been ensuring the upkeep of the mini forest — told us that barely any work was done for the upkeep of the plantation. “Since the mini forest was planted during the 2019 rainy season, no watering was required till January-February 2020, because even post the monsoons, water was retained underground. Such plantations require care for the first two years, and we would ensure that it was watered, either from the lake or otherwise, only during the dry months — and that too as and when it was required. There has been no regular intervention required from anyone, and still the plantation has grown really well. It’s been two years since we planted it, so we see it self-sustaining now. We might need to water it in April 2022, but not much else will be required,” she says.

For years, citizen volunteers have been trying to revive the Somasundarapalya Lake. While work on the lake itself began four years ago, a four-acre area of land was being used by the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation Ltd. A lot of reject waste was being dumped in the open over the four acres, and in 2019, the land was released on record. Over the last two months, volunteers of the Citizen Task Force have been meeting at the lake every single day, come rain or shine, to clear up the plastic waste and plant trees for the future urban forest.
“The BBMP provided us with plants and a borewell, which unfortunately failed. We remove plastic and plant at least 5 saplings every day. I have personally been going to Sundaravana (what they call the four acres of land) everyday, to ensure that work goes on. Hundreds of citizens are involved in this and it is a citizen-driven and citizen-funded project. Children from the nearby government school also visit and help us. Our intention is to have an urban forest; we want to transform the plastic dumping area into a green patch — something that is required in Bengaluru,” says Lalithamba BV, a citizen volunteer from HSR, who tells us that the entire plantation might take anything from six months to one year to complete.

Kavitha and Sridhar both agree with Lalithamba that more such plantations are the need of the hour in the city, especially since they are cost-effective and easy to manage. All that is required is a change in perspective — a better way to use the few open spaces that we still have left in Bengaluru. “We were thinking about setting up a seating area or play area in the patch of land at Agara Lake, but Sridhar’s idea of setting up the plantation instead was brilliant. We have realised that we needed a green patch and the water retention that it now enables. We see a variety of birds flocking there due to the many fruiting and nesting trees. There are a lot of flowering trees as well, and the fragrance you get just by walking past the plantation is a pleasing experience,” says Kavitha.

Sridhar Punati, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), breaks down the costs of Miyawaki and the regular planting that he spearheaded at Agara Lake in 2019.
Cost of Miyawaki: Rs 300-Rs 350 per sq feet. At that cost, it will cost Rs 1,30,68,000 per acre (this is the lowest possible estimate @ Rs 300/sq ft)
Cost of the planting at Agara Lake: An estimated Rs 2-Rs 2.5 lakh per acre
Amount saved: Rs 1,28,18,000
(Reported by Dhwani Desai)