Gorakhpur: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday called on citizens to take part in mass tree plantation, warning that indiscriminate felling could trigger water scarcity and eventually a food grain crisis.“A single tree absorbs and retains thousands of litres of water within itself. Rivers remain perennial only where there are forests or a large number of trees,” he said, adding that cutting trees disrupts water availability and threatens agriculture.Yogi was speaking after planting a Maulshri sapling along the Tal Ring Road near RKBK under Paudharopan Mahayagya 2026. He said environmental imbalance increases irregularities in the rainfall cycle, which directly harms farmers. Large-scale deforestation, he added, can create drinking water shortages and drought-like conditions.Urging people to treat plantation as a collective responsibility, the chief minister appealed for participation in the campaign themed ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam.’ He said citizens should pledge not only to plant saplings but also to protect them so they survive and contribute to ecological balance.The chief minister said the state has set a target of planting 35 crore saplings in a single day this year. He said the goal is achievable in Uttar Pradesh due to the availability of more than 57 lakh nurseries. Under the Paudharopan Mahayagya, he said, the state is planting a wide variety of saplings, including medicinal plants, fruit-bearing trees, shade-giving species and timber-yielding varieties.Yogi said the govt has run large-scale plantation drives every year and put in place stronger arrangements for sapling protection, leading to visible expansion of forest cover in surveys. He described gratitude as a hallmark of Indian culture and said tree plantation is a way to express thanks to nature while securing a better future for coming generations.After the plantation event, the chief minister admired the view of Ramgarh Tal and took a selfie.
