Patna: Around 300 saplings were planted and farmers sensitised to the importance of rainwater harvesting during a Van Mahotsav programme at Gauharpur village in Balwapar on Saturday, as part of the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign of the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.Rajesh Ranjan, head of the department of environmental science at the Central University of South Bihar, urged farmers to develop groves on portions of their farmland while continuing cultivation. He also highlighted the importance of carbon credits in promoting environmental conservation.Saplings of mahogany, teak, gamhar, neem and amla were planted during the event. As part of the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign, farmers were educated about the importance of rainwater harvesting for water security and groundwater recharge.The programme was organised by the EIACP Centre at the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), Patna. The EIACP-ADRI team included coordinator Sunil Gupta, GIS and IT officer Gulshan Patel, and information officer Mausam Bahar.
