BDA to Geo-Tag Saplings and Launch Public Dashboard for Bengaluru Plantation Drive

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has announced the introduction of a technology-driven monitoring system, featuring geo-fencing, geo-tagging, and a public dashboard, to oversee its 15-lakh sapling plantation drive across Bengaluru. The initiative comes in response to public criticism and concerns raised over the condition of the plantations in several locations.

Under the new system, the BDA plans to restore public confidence and ensure greater transparency and accountability. The rollout will occur in phases, beginning with the geo-fencing of all plantation sites to digitally map their boundaries. Once this mapping is complete, every sapling within the sites will be individually geo-tagged using a digital tree-tagging system.

A public dashboard will display the real-time status of the plantation sites, the survival rates of the saplings, and daily upkeep activities. According to recent data from the sapling health dashboard, 85.3 per cent of the planting sites are currently in good condition, while 14.69 per cent are classified as distressed.

"The objective is to bring complete transparency to our plantation programme," said Charan GS, Deputy Conservator of Forests for the BDA. "The dashboard will display the status of plantation sites, plant survival percentage and the daily maintenance being carried out so that the public is aware of the progress."

To support the survival of the saplings, the BDA has also dug 62 borewells across various plantation sites to secure a reliable water source. The authority has engaged 11 NGOs to establish permanent irrigation and sprinkler systems, covering nearly 200 acres of land under the afforestation programme.

These NGOs are also tasked with carrying out mulching to retain soil moisture, providing support sticks to young seedlings, and replacing dead saplings. Gardeners have been deployed to regularly maintain the sites, and the BDA is installing protective fencing at locations where barriers are missing to prevent damage from grazing animals and human interference.

Additionally, the BDA has assigned an Executive Engineer to every plantation site to coordinate with the NGOs and monitor maintenance activities.

Shyam Padhi, a volunteer, welcomed the digital monitoring measures, noting that the real success of the initiative will depend on how many of the 15 lakh saplings survive and grow into healthy trees.