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The Haritha Project was launched
by TTD at a cost of 1.5 crore to conserve ground water
resources and the forests on the Tirumala Hills.
Developmental activities are
being taken up on a massive scale under this project
by the TTD Forest Department, based on the satellite
image of the areas provided by the State Forest Department.
Objectives
- To conserve rain water
and improve the ground water level
- To plant about 1 crore
saplings
- To green 29,500 acres of
forest area, belonging to TTD and the State government,
within 3 years
- To protect the forests
from fire
- To develop the areas adjoining
the important tirthas.
Conservation of Water
TTD has constructed several cement
checkdams, contour trenches, masonry embankments and
percolation tanks to prevent the rain water from draining
off the Seshachala Hills.
Eighty kilometre long peripheral
trenches have been dug from Rangampeta to Kodur. Besides,
89 checkdams, 136 Gabrion checkdams, 3884 rock fill
dams have been built. Check dams have also been constructed
on the first and second ghat roads from Tirupati to
Tirumala to prevent the draining of water and the erosion
of soil.
These sustained efforts have
contributed in a substantial improvement in the ground
water level. A report given by the Department of Groundwater
mentions an increase of 3.155 million cubic metres and
6.59 million cubic metres of recharge in groundwater
in the years 2000 and 2001 respectively.
Planting
of Seedlings
Over 65 lakh seedlings such
as those of Red Sanders, Margosa, Teak, Sampangi,
Tamarind, Gooseberry and Blackberry have been planted
under the Haritha project. Over 40 tons of seeds of
Margosa, Tamarind and Blackberry have also been planted.
Protection
from Forest Fires
To protect the forests on
the hills from fires, 130 kilometre-long fire lines
have been constructed, besides 60 kilometre-long fire
walls. A special squad carrying walkie talkies has been
appointed to report forest fires, facilitating immediate
action
Development
of areas adjoining the Holy Tirthas
One of the main objectives
of the Haritha Project is the development of areas around
the important tirthas on the Tirumala Hills. 20,000
saplings have been planted in the premises of
S.V. Ruia Hospital, BIRRD, SVIMS and the Ayurveda Hospital.
Avenue plantation has been
carried out on the Tirupati - Renigunta road and Tirupati
- Tiruchanoor road, covering a
distance of 15 kilometres.
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