SYC PROGRESS REPORT ON LILY PLANTATION AND PRESERVATION

Burning of the Kashong's thick grasses was once a practice by the locals and that was how the Lily keeps blooming enormously back then and the maram(cane species) was under controlled. However, as the environment change, the number of Lilies was decreased slowly year after year. And since forest fire is one concern for environment, the burning of Kashong was halt from 2019 to observe the consequence. There has been many research and steps taken for protecting the environment, for the growth of Lilies and to control the maram by the locals as well as different NGO's and departments but nothing has been much applicable.

So, the local youth club decided to take up the same old practice along with cutting the marams to burn down and collecting of Lily seeds and re-planting.

While doing so, the club has been and is doing many steps for the environment and the Lily.

Some of the important steps are-

OCTOBER 2019;

The formal executives took an initiative in

taking the first step of Lily plantation by collecting Lily's seed from Thingkhai Phungrei peak which is located beneath the back of the Kashong taking them 2 days and 1 night and sowed it at the Kashong.

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OCTOBER 2022;

New Lily plants took about 2-3 years to be matured enough to start blooming but since the cane species called maram has reigned over the majority parts of the Kashong where Lily grows, the result of the plantation in 2019 couldn't be seen much effective and abounding. So on this time of the year, the local youths of about 30 man took a step of controlling the maram's growth by cutting it down in large part of the hill for 2 days and 1 night and to burn it when it gets dry. While doing so they collected much of the Lily's seed for re-plantation.

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JANUARY 2023;

The dried marams was burned along with the thick grasses to ashes for the Lilies to grow without disruption.

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FEBRUARY 2023;

The Shirui Youth Club organized a Lily Plantation drive which was taken part by volunteers from Ukhrul Hq. and the local youths in total of about 70 man and woman and sowed the collected seeds in may parts of the Peak, from Shongra to Shongrei.

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APRIL 2023;

A Lily documentation was taken by the club and comes to an acknowledgment of success along with more Lilies in bloom.