Amidst the ever-growing threats of global warming and climate change, the Jharkhand Forest Department on Tuesday celebrated World Environment Day 2026 in a unique manner within the Horhap Forest Rest House Range.
This special awareness campaign delivered a strong message of nature conservation through activities such as cleanliness drives, trekking,and bird-watching. The programme was organised between 6 am to 9 am. The theme of the event was ‘Less Pollution, More Life’ and ‘Save Nature, Conserve Wildlife, and Build a Green Future,’ The participation of environmentloving school children in this event captured everyone’s attention. Using binoculars, the children engaged in birdwatching and observed various bird species found within the dense forests of Horhap. During the forest exploration, the children were taught how every tree, every bird, and every living creature collectively contributes to maintaining the ecological balance. Together with the officials, the children pledged to keep the forest clean, plant trees, and help reduce environmental pollution.
The officials emphasised that the presence of plastic and polythene in the forest acts as a poison to the environment. These materials do not decompose for hundreds of years; they deplete the soil’s fertility and prevent rainwater from percolating into the ground. The greatest threat, however, is posed to wildlife, which often ingests polythene while foraging for food, leading to their death. Consequently, ‘waste disposal’ served as the primary objective of this campaign.
DFO Shrikant Verma emphasised that this initiative is not merely a oneday event; its primary objective is to bring about a lasting change in people’s habits. If every citizen pauses to think before littering in the forest, boycotts single-use plastics, and participates in a cleanliness drive at least once a month, both the weather and the climate of Jharkhand will witness significant improvement.
The most remarkable aspect of this initiative was that the top officials of the forest department personally stepped onto the field.
