Mukti Vetiver Nursery Intent for Protecting the River Embankments

The coastal Sundarban delta of West Bengal has always been prone to floods and cyclones and it has been a challenge to protect the coastal river embankment from these natural disasters. Mukti, to protect the coastal river embankments from natural disasters, to reduce soil erosion and flooding is considering building a sustainable natural defense in a cost-effective manner.

To achieve this goal Mukti has made a Vetiver grass nursery at Ballartot village under Basanti Block. 20,000 Vetiver grass seedlings are being made in that nursery. After the destruction of Yaas, 18,000 saplings that were produced in this nursery had been planted on the various embankments of Raidighi.

The type of vetiver grass that Mukti is nurturing is the non- seeding type. Mostly non-seeding type, have an extensive root system and higher oil content. It is mainly tropical grass. The roots grow exclusively 2-4 meters downward, which is deeper than even some tree roots. This makes Vetiver an excellent stabilizing hedge for protecting soil from erosion. The roots bind to the soil and block the runoff of surface water.

An interesting feature of the grass is that the more it is eaten by cows after it grows to a substantial length the more it grows

Apart from this, if Vetiver grass is grown at a larger scale, it can offer an alternative livelihood solution to the coastal community through its multipurpose use feature. The local people can use Vetiver grass for thatching the roofs of their house, can use it as their animal fodder and also use it for preparing various handicraft items as well as for medicinal purposes.

The local community has wholeheartedly supported this initiative. Initially, Raidighi region had been chosen to start this embankment protection plan. Later on, Mukti plans to extend it to other parts of the island.