Planting 2.51 lakh saplings in an hour, Varanasi enters the Guinness World Records, beating China

Varanasi has entered the Guinness World Records by planting 2,51,446 saplings within one hour during a mega plantation drive at the Sujabad Domari area on Sunday, surpassing China’s 2018 record of 1,53,981 saplings.

The record was confirmed by Guinness World Records adjudicator Rishinath after verification through drone surveillance and a digital counting system. The certificate was presented to Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal at the site.

The UP government, in a statement, informed that the plantation was made over almost 350 bighas, developed as an urban forest through the coordination between the Varanasi Municipal Corporation and various government departments, institutions, and social organizations.

The forest was separated into 60 sectors, each sector was named after the famous ghats of Kashi like Dashashwamedh, Manikarnika, Kedar, and Lalita. In each sector more than 4, 000 saplings were planted.

Officers stated that the work included 27 native species like sheesham, Arjun, teak, and bamboo, along with the fruit, bearing trees such as mango, guava, and papaya, and medicinal plants like ashwagandha, shatavari, and giloy were also planted.

“The miyawaki technique has been used to enable dense and faster growth, and the area is expected to develop into a dense green cover within two to three years,” an official said.

The campaign saw participation from personnel of the Indian Army, NDRF, CRPF, Civil Defence and the Provincial Armed Constabulary, along with teams from the Forest and Agriculture departments, Namami Gange, DUDA, and the Municipal Corporation. Thousands of students, NCC cadets, and NSS volunteers from local educational institutions also took part.

To ensure survival of the saplings, a 10.8-km pipeline network has been laid, supported by 10 borewells and 360 rain gun systems for irrigation, the government said.

Officials said the project is likely to create revenue for the Municipal Corporation through the terms of an agreement with a private agency, and income is estimated to start from year three.

Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari mentioned that the move shows Kashi's dedication to environment conservation and at the same time, they rolled out their ecological objectives along with economic planning for the long term.