Indian has been planting trees every day for 39 years, and the result is inspiring

The river island of Majuli is located along the course of the Brahmaputra River - a tributary of the Ganges River, India's largest and most important - and since the early 20th century it had been shrinking due to an accelerated erosion process. soil, resulting from the numerous floods that occur during the rainy season of the monsoons.

In 1979, a guy named Jadav Molai Payeng - then 16 - found hundreds of snakes killed by excessive heat after heavy flooding led them to a sandbar where there was not even a tree. Outraged by such mortality, the Indian decided to take action.

In 7 decades, Majuli had lost more than half of its original size due to soil erosion.

Alone, Jadav took on the mission to start planting trees on this island that had everything to disappear from the map.

The story began in the late 1970s, when the Indian was still a teenager

The first seedlings were bamboo, and he watered them every morning and at dusk

As they grew, he removed seedlings from them and planted them in other areas impacted by erosion.

Since then, Jadav has reforested an area equivalent to 800 soccer fields

Just for comparison: it's bigger than all of Central Park in New York

In addition to recovering the degraded soil, sprouted a forest full of life, a refuge for countless endangered species

Even a herd of elephants visit it regularly every year.

In 2013, Jadav's story was transformed into a short film called "Forest Man", widely awarded internationally.

And his discreet and lonely initiative made him consider himself a kind of hero in his country - reasons for that he has to spare

***

Do you know the Mega Curioso newsletter? Weekly, we produce exclusive content for lovers of the biggest curiosities and bizarres of this big world! Register your email and do not miss this way to keep in touch!