Green Cover

Our green journey is named "Thai Madi" (pronounced as THAI-MUD-E"). Thai Madi in Tamil means "Mothers Lap".

Seethanam's Thai Madi intends to achieve the objective of doubling green cover in Ambalapattu village by planting 1 lakh (i.e. 100,000) tree saplings in the village by 2025 with particular focus on residential plots, farm lands, water bodies, water pathways, and schools.

Thai Madi

The Problem: The population in India has grown about 4X since independence in 1947. As population grew, more and more green belts have been converted into farm lands and residential plots. In addition, over the last several decades, a large section of farmers in the lower Cauvery Delta region have moved to monoculture farming (particularly paddy or coconut farming) and as a result several native tree species are either significantly reduced in presence or has completely disappeared from the village landscape. These changes have caused severe stress on underground water levels and has depleted organic content in the soil.

In November 2018, a devastating cyclone named Gaja hit about four districts in the state of Tamil Nadu. Ambalapattu is one of the villages that was hit the hardest. Some farms lost about 90% of their trees over night. Even several decade old banyan trees got up-rooted.

The Solution: Agricultural scientist and environmental activist Dr. G. Nammalvar said "Don't look for water in the land, bring it from the sky". It was a simple yet profound statement that emphasized the connectivity between green cover and rain fall. Seethanam believes by doubling the green cover in Ambalapattu village we will be able to increase rainfall and improve the groundwater level.

What have we done so far? In 2019, as a part of Kuruchi Lake rejuvenation project, the volunteer team (organized under the name Iyarkaiyodu Innaivom) along with Ambalapattu villagers and nature lovers planted over 600 trees using Miyawaki methodology in three islands in the lake and over 1100 trees around the lake. In 2020, Seethanam Foundation opened "Thai Madi Nursery", which intends to grow, plant, and nurture 1 lakh (i.e. 100,000) native trees in Ambalapattu village by 2025.

More information can be found under "Thai Madi Nursery" in the projects section.

What are we planning to do in the future? We intend to

• work in tandem with the 2000 families in the village to grow several fruit bearing and timber yielding trees in their residential plots and farms. This will increase green cover, organic content in the soil, ground water level, and provide nutritional food for families all around the year.
• work with the village administration to grow trees in and around water bodies and their pathways to increase green cover and create a conducive micro climate to reduce water evaporation and create a bio diversified ecosystem.
• work closely with teachers and students in all eight public schools in Ambalapattu village to create a deep bond between the students and the nature by involving them regularly in seed germination, tree sapling plantation, and in nurturing trees.
• work with village stakeholders in creating guardianship for every tree sapling planted for a minimum period of three years.