Ahmedabad, June 4. An experimental afforestation technique using drum-based plantations in the highly saline area of Dholera, Gujarat has shown promising initial results. Under this technique, more than 3,200 saplings planted on previously barren land not only survived but in many cases grew up to 12 feet within a year. As a result, the project is now being expanded to an additional 20 hectares of land.
The initiative has been implemented in Block No. 29 of Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) Activation Area of Ahmedabad district, with funding support from Dholera Special Investment Region Development Authority (DSIRDA).
The Forest Department said the initiative was designed to address the problem of excessive soil salinity and prolonged waterlogging, which has historically made it extremely difficult for trees and plants to grow in the region.
Officials said the soil in some parts of the site has very high electrical conductivity and very low carbon content, while waterlogging can persist for up to six months. In such circumstances, traditional tree planting methods have mostly been unsuccessful.
The saplings were planted using the ‘drum plantation’ method developed by the Ahmedabad Social Forestry Division in August, 2025. In this method, small plants are placed inside plastic drums filled with a controlled mixture of sand, nutrient-rich soil, vermicompost, cocopeat and dry grass. Holes are made in the drums to allow air circulation and they are buried about a foot deep in the ground. This keeps the plant roots above the most saline layers of the soil.
Dr. Meenal Jani, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Ahmedabad Social Forestry Division, said that this method was adopted to overcome the environmental constraints of the area. He said, “The soil had very high electrical conductivity, negligible carbon content, and very high salinity. In addition, water remains frozen in this area for up to six months, making it almost impossible for plants to grow. To solve this problem, we adopted the ‘drum plantation’ technique, in which plants are planted inside drums filled with a specially prepared medium, at a surface slightly above the ground.”
He said that a ‘drip irrigation’ system has been installed in the entire plantation area, and DSIRDA has provided brackish water to meet the irrigation needs. According to him, because of this system, the survival rate of the planted saplings has been quite good despite adverse conditions.
in less than a year many plants grow 12 have grown to a foot tall
Dr Jani said, ‘In less than a year, many of the plants have grown up to 12 feet tall, which is a huge achievement for such a land.’ He also said that flowers and fruits have started appearing in some species, which has led to the return of pollinating insects to the plantation area and the activity of birds has also increased.
in this plantation 15 Contains more than 100 types of trees
The plantation consists of more than 15 varieties of trees, including Salvadora persica, Butea monosperma, Bombax ceiba, Thespia populonia, Ficus benghalensis, Ficus religiosa, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Acacia nilotica, Pongamia pinnata, Terminalia arjuna, Pithecellobium dulce, Azadirachta indica, Cordia dichotoma and Contains Tamarindus indica.
Officials said that trees and plants have now started growing in the area which was earlier not considered suitable for the continuous growth of plants. This has led to early signs of ecological disruption, such as the return of insects, butterflies and spontaneous grasses to some parts of the site.
The Forest Department said that the plastic drums used in this experiment will be removed and recycled in the coming stages, so that environmental rules can be followed and this initiative can continue for a long time. Following the success of this pilot project, DSIRDA has approved expanding this initiative to 20 hectares more land in Dholera Activation Area.
with the same technology 50,000 Plan to plant more trees than
Officials hope that using the same technology, they will be able to expand the plantation to an even larger area, under which there are plans to plant more than 50,000 saplings. This project is a part of the ongoing industrial development in Dholera as well as larger efforts to improve the environment. Dholera is being developed as a major industrial and infrastructure hub in Gujarat.
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