NANDED CITY - GREEN CITY

NANDED CITY - GREEN CITY PROJECT

BY GURDWARA LANGAR SAHIB

BY

Shri Makhan Singh

Nanded is a town located in Maharashtra State and is one of the five Sikh Takhts, i.e. Hazur Sahib, which is associated with the first and the last Sikh Gurus. Guru Nanak Dev passed through Nanded during his extensive travel as far as such as Sri Lanka.  Guru Gobind Singh spent the last few days of his earthly life here.  He arrived Nanded with emperor Bahadur Shah in 1708. Here he found a man of destiny and promise in a Bairagi sadhu whom he bapised with Khande di Pahul and renamed Bairagi sadhu as Banda Singh. Guru Sahib commissioned him to go to north, marshal the Sikhs in Punjab and dispense justice as deserved by the perpetrators of crime in the past, the Faujdar of Sirhind Wazir Khan. Wazir Khan realized the possibility of harm to himself through royal action or retribution and he hired two assassins to pursue the Guru and eliminate him at the first opportunity. They got the chance and stabbed the Guru.  Though both were killed on the spot, but Guru too did not survive the wound and breathed his last on 7^th of October, 1708.  He had formally passed on the spiritual light of Guruship to Shri Guru Granth Sahib, the Shabad Guru of the Sikhs for ever thereafter.  All historical Gurdwaras at an near Nanded, except one dedicated to Guru Nanak Dev, are associated with the activities of Guru Gobind Singh. All the Gurdwaras are connected by road to the central shrine, the Takht Sahib.

Takhat Sach Khand Sri Hazur Sahib Abichalnagar is the principal shrine at Nanded.  It marks the site where the Guru had his camp after the departure of the emperor Bahadur Shah. Guru Gobind Singh held his court and congregation here.  His own tent where he was stabbed and where after a few days came his end, was close by.  The pyre on which he was cremated was also near.  As if he had prescience to the end, Guru Gobind Singh had dispatched Banda Singh with five of his Sikhs to Punjab and Mata Sahib Devan under a separate escort to Delhi before his stabbing incident.  He directed one Bhai Santokh Singh to stay on here and keep Guru Ka Langar going.  Many others also chose to remain.  They built a room over the platform where Guru used to sit while holding his court and installed Shri Guru Granth Sahib in it.  They called it Takht Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh while conferring Guruship on the Holy Book had himself named Nanded as Abichalnagar.

World has witnessed a change in the temperature over the last hundred years or so. The instrumental temperature record has shown a trend in climate of increased temperature, i.e., global warming. Other observed changes include Arctic shrinkage, Arctic methane release, releases of terrestrial carbon from permafrost regions and Arctic methane release in coastal sediments, and sea level rise. Global average temperature is predicted to increase over this century, with a probable increase in frequency of some extreme weather events, and changes in rainfall patterns. Moving from global to regional scales, there is increased uncertainty over how climate will change. The probability of warming having unforeseen consequences increases with the rate, magnitude, and duration of climate change. Some of the physical impacts of climate change are irreversible at continental and global scales. It is conjectured that with a global average temperature increase of 1–4°C, (relative to 1990–2000) partial deglaciation of the Greenland ice sheet would occur over a period of centuries to millennia and the possible contribution of partial deglaciation of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, sea level would rise by 4–6 m or more. The impacts of climate change across the world population will not be distributed evenly. Some regions and sectors are expected to experience benefits while others will experience costs. With greater levels of warming (greater than 2–3°C by 2100, relative to 1990 temperature levels), it is very likely that benefits will decline and costs increase.

Research based on satellite observations, published in October, 2010, shows an increase in the flow of freshwater into the world's oceans, partly from melting ice and partly from increased precipitation driven by an increase in global ocean evaporation. The increase in global freshwater flow, based on data from 1994 to 2006, was about 18%. Much of the increase is in areas which already experience high rainfall. One effect, as perhaps experienced in the 2010 Pakistan floods, is to overwhelm flood control infrastructure.  Regional effects of global warming vary in nature. Some are the result of a generalised global change, such as rising temperature, resulting in local effects, such as melting ice. In other cases, a change may be related to a change in a particular ocean current or weather system. In such cases, the regional effect may be disproportionate and will not necessarily follow the global trend.

There are three major ways in which global warming will make changes to regional climate: melting or forming ice, changing the hydrological cycle (of evaporation and precipitation) and changing currents in the oceans and air flows in the atmosphere. The coast can also be considered a region, and will sufafer severe impacts from sea level rise. Global warming is projected to have a number of effects on the oceans. Ongoing effects include rising sea levels due to thermal expansion and melting of glaciers and ice sheets, and warming of the ocean surface, leading to increased temperature stratification. Other possible effects include large-scale changes in ocean. From 1961 to 2003, the global ocean temperature has risen by 0.10 °C from the surface to a depth of 700 m. There is variability both year-to-year and over longer time scales, with global ocean heat content observations showing high rates of warming for 1991 to 2003, but some cooling from 2003 to 2007. Most of the studies on global agriculture had not incorporated a number of critical factors, including changes in extreme events, or the spread of pests and diseases.  World is worried about the global warming and devising ways a means to control the pollution in the environment.

There once was a time when people thought of the environment, they thought of its beauty; but now as the natural beauty of the earth that once was disappears, many people around the world have awoken to the realities of just how fragile our earth actually is. Central to this issue is pollution, which involves the introduction of harmful substances into the air, land, and water. Although pollution has been occurring throughout the earth’s history, the rate by which the human species have contributed to the amount of pollution that has entered our environment over the past several hundred years far exceeds the earth’s inherent ability to heal itself.

Planting trees in agroforestry systems provides a myriad of benefits, such as food; forage for animals; sustainable fuel wood and construction materials; increased agricultural yields; improved water infiltration and aquifer recharge; and protection of soils from wind and water erosion.  However, planting trees can be difficult when the canopy has disappeared, topsoil has been eroded, and the climate and growing conditions have changed.   Through our network of technicians, volunteers, and community leaders world-wide, our program reaches out and provides the knowledge and ability to rehabilitate their environment.  Trees for the Future has helped thousands of communities to improve their livelihoods and their environment by planting trees. We are well aware that these trees remove tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year. We are also active locally, educating students and communities about global issues, our role in the environment, and energy efficiency. Today, many city mayors are working to get their cities focused on the environmental movement. For many of those mayors, their goal is to convert their city into a green city. By thriving to achieve green city status, leaders are acting to improve the quality of the air, lower the use of non-renewable resources, encourage the building of green homes and other structures, reserve more green space, support environmentally-friendly methods of transportation, and offer recycling programs.  Most trees in cities or communities are planted to provide beauty or shade. These are two excellent reasons for their use. Woody plants also serve many other purposes, and it often is helpful to consider these other functions when selecting a tree for the landscape. The benefits of trees can be grouped into social, communal, environmental, and economic categories.

We like trees around us because they make life more pleasant. Most of us respond to the presence of trees beyond simply observing their beauty. We feel serene, peaceful, restful, and tranquil in a grove of trees. We are “at home” there. Hospital patients have been shown to recover from surgery more quickly when their hospital room offered a view of trees. The strong ties between people and trees are most evident in the resistance of community residents to removing trees to widen streets. Or we note the heroic efforts of individuals and organizations to save particularly large or historic trees in a community.  The stature, strength, and endurance of trees give them a cathedral-like quality. Because of their potential for long life, trees frequently are planted as living memorials. We often become personally attached to trees that we or those we love have planted. Trees alter the environment in which we live by moderating climate, improving air quality, conserving water, and harboring wildlife. Climate control is obtained by moderating the effects of sun, wind, and rain. Radiant energy from the sun is absorbed or deflected by leaves on deciduous trees in the summer and is only filtered by branches of deciduous trees in winter. We are cooler when we stand in the shade of trees and are not exposed to direct sunlight. In winter, we value the sun’s radiant energy. Therefore, we should plant only small or deciduous trees on the south side of homes. Temperature in the vicinity of trees is cooler than that away from trees. The larger the tree, the greater the cooling. By using trees in the cities, we are able to moderate the heat-island effect caused by pavement and buildings in commercial areas.

Air quality can be improved through the use of trees, shrubs, and turf. Leaves filter the air we breathe by removing dust and other particulates. Rain then washes the pollutants to the ground. Leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the air to form carbohydrates that are used in the plant’s structure and function. In this process, leaves also absorb other air pollutants—such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide—and give off oxygen. By planting trees and shrubs, we return to a more natural, less artificial environment. Birds and other wildlife are attracted to the area. The natural cycles of plant growth, reproduction, and decomposition are again present, both above and below ground. Natural harmony is restored to the urban environment.

Individual trees and shrubs have value, but the variability of species, size, condition, and function makes determining their economic value difficult. The economic benefits of trees can be both direct and indirect. Direct economic benefits are usually associated with energy costs. Air-conditioning costs are lower in a tree-shaded home. The savings in energy costs and the increase in property value directly benefit each home owner. The indirect economic benefits of trees are even greater. These benefits are available to the community or region. Trees provide numerous aesthetic and economic benefits but also incur some costs. You need to be aware that an investment is required for your trees to provide the benefits that you desire. The biggest cost of trees and shrubs occurs when they are purchased and planted. Initial care almost always includes some watering. Leaf, branch, and whole tree removal and disposal can be expensive. To function well in the landscape, trees require maintenance. Much can be done by the informed home owner.

With the consistent efforts of Shri Bhupinder Singh Suri as well as Baba Narinder Singh and Baba Harnam Singh ji Nanaded city has been chosen for the development of Green City on the Gur-ta-Gaddi of 300 years of Shri Guru Granth Sahib.  Shri Ashok Rao Chavan has also extended help for the development of Nanded City as Green City by planting 10-20 lac trees in Nanded City as there are according to the estimate at present there are 1,74,000 plants in the city.  It is proposed to plant 10  lacs trees in the city, i.e. with the radius of 20 to 25  kilometres.  For the procurement of Mangoes and Chickoo trees, nursery has been developed to produce about 70 to 80 thousand sapling.  Efforts will be made to plant these trees in schools, homes, fieds, on the sides of road and railway track. These trees will also be provided free of cost to the schools, farmers and house-owners for plantation of the fruit trees like mangoes and chickoo, etc. free of cost.  Definitely they will put more labour for care of these trees.  Within three years these saplings will grow into trees giving fruits to the owners besides checking pollution.  The environment pollution can be checked with the plantation of trees besides other remedial measures.   With the planting of more and more trees the environment in the Nanded city will gradually be more congenial, eco-friendly, non-polluted and worth living.  It will make the Nanded City as Green City and number one city in the World.

In this project the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Ashok Rao Chavan, has extended help for plantation of trees.  Baba Narinder Singh ji and Bhupinder Singh Suri have also put consistent efforts for the development of the area for plantation of more and more sapling of trees like mango and chickoo, etc. to make the Nanded Cit as Green City.  With the efforts of all the above definitely will make the Nanded City as Green City and number one city in the World.

- o 0 o -