At 6:00 AM on Republic Day — January 26, 2025 — over 300 volunteers gathered across 14 locations in Gorakhpur with shovels, saplings, and a shared purpose. By sunset, 2,000 trees had been planted across the city's parks, roadways, school grounds, and riverbanks. It was the single largest plantation drive in PANWS history.

Republic Day felt like the perfect moment. What better way to honour our nation than by giving something back to the land that sustains us?

2,000
Saplings Planted
300+
Volunteers
14
Locations Across Gorakhpur

Why Tree Plantation Matters More Than Ever

Gorakhpur has seen rapid urban expansion over the past decade. Green cover has declined sharply as construction has replaced forests, parks, and open land. Average temperatures in the city have risen by 1.8 degrees Celsius over the last 20 years. Air quality, particularly in winter, has deteriorated significantly.

  • Gorakhpur's green cover has reduced by nearly 30% since 2000
  • Flood risk has increased due to loss of natural water absorption
  • Urban heat island effects are worsening year by year
  • Biodiversity — birds, insects, pollinators — is declining

"Planting a tree is not an act of charity. It is an act of survival — for ourselves and for the generations who will live here after us."

— Vijay Tripathi, Founder, PANWS

The Drive — From Dawn to Dusk

Volunteers were divided into 14 teams, each assigned to a specific location. The species were carefully chosen for local ecology — Neem, Peepal, Arjun, Jamun, Amla, and Gulmohar trees that are native to the region, drought-tolerant, and beneficial for both wildlife and air quality.

Volunteers planting saplings
PANWS volunteers and schoolchildren planting saplings at Gorakhpur's Ramgarh Tal area on Republic Day 2025.

Schools across the city participated with their students. NSS (National Service Scheme) groups, college clubs, corporate teams, and neighbourhood associations all joined in. It became something far greater than a plantation drive — it became a community celebration of the environment.

Ensuring Survival — Not Just Planting

We have learned from experience that planting alone is not enough. For every sapling planted, we assign a volunteer guardian — a local resident or student who commits to watering and protecting that tree for six months.

"Planting a seed is just the beginning. What matters is who stays to water it."

— PANWS Nature Team

Our tracking data from previous drives shows that sapling survival rates increased from 41% to 78% after introducing the guardian system. In 2025, we are also introducing geo-tagged QR codes on each planted tree, allowing volunteers to track growth and report problems through a simple mobile form.

Who Joined Us

  • 14 schools and colleges with their students
  • 6 corporate groups fulfilling their CSR commitments
  • Neighbourhood residents' welfare associations
  • NSS and NCC cadets from Gorakhpur University
  • Individual PANWS volunteers ranging from age 8 to 74

The Road to 10,000 Trees

This drive is part of our larger goal to plant 10,000 trees across Gorakhpur by December 2025. We are already 4,200 trees towards that target across our drives this year. The next major plantation drive is planned for the onset of monsoon season in June — when rainfall gives saplings the best start.

Join us this monsoon. Bring your family. Plant a tree. Give Gorakhpur the green future it deserves.