Hundred Bhutanese women created history by planting a record number of 49,718 tree saplings within an hour, today.
The mass plantation took place in Takila, Lhuentse coinciding with the Social Forestry Day and Coronation Day of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.
The women volunteers aged 14-50 are mostly villagers of Lhuentse and some students, civil servants, and devotees.
Prior to plantation, volunteers underwent rigorous physical training and plantation technique exercises to plant 50,000 saplings.
The almost 13-acre hill needed each volunteer to plant 500 saplings in an hour.
Most of the volunteers said they were initially nervous and less confident about their most ambitious mission.
But, after heading towards the hill for their arduous task, they planted saplings of nine indigenous species with relative ease.
They were divided into 10 groups. Some groups completed planting trees well ahead of time and helped other groups.
The plantation proved much easier especially for the volunteers from the villages. They said it was far easier than the work they do in their villages.
From 50,000 saplings planted, 282 saplings were disqualified.
Ministry of Agriculture and Forests had organized the event.
According to the ministry, the saplings will be well taken care of and nurtured so that the purpose of the event won’t be defeated.
