The project, a brainchild of Kochi Response Group and the Kumar Group, comes as like any city, Kochi is also replacing ‘nature’ with ‘civilisation’. “Kochi is facing an environmental disaster. The city recorded its highest temperature recorded during this summer, which is a sign of things to come. This is due to the fact that Kochi is losing its green cover at an alarming rate,” said S Gopakumar, managing partner, Kumar Group and Shirly Chacko, secretary, Better Kochi Response Group.

The reasons for climatic change are urbanisation and degeneration of environment. The pollution level also went up forcing the Green Tribunal to ban large diesel vehicles. Only possible immediate solution to mitigate this situation is a programme of intense planting of trees, the release said.

KochikkoruPachakkuda is a project of planting one lakh trees this year in Kochi with an ambition of completing six lakh trees in six years. “This action will definitely bring down the temperate and also considerably reduce the pollution. The trees will be planted in protected areas like institutions, private residences etc and not as roadside avenue trees for maximum survival. It will also be possible be possible to create urban forests in certain designated areas,” said Gopakuar, whose Kumar Group is involved with the project as part of its 40th year celebrations.