Jamshedpur, Dec. 25: After successful experimentation for 18 months, Calcutta University (CU) has asked Tata Steel to plant Kendu trees, which has the natural power to absorb pollutants released by the manufacturing units.

Faculty member of marine department, CU, Abhijit Mitra said after extensive research for months at Sunderban and other forests of Bengal, they discovered that Kendu trees absorb chromium and nickel particles that leads to cancer in human beings. “If Kendu trees are planted strategically in the mining and industrial belt of Jharkhand, pollution can be controlled to a great extent naturally. This is the only tree that successfully absorbs contents of pollutants leading to air pollution,” Mitra said.

“At the moment, the company gives a chemical treatment to these pollutants released by the manufacturing units. But if they plant Kendu trees, the pollutants will be naturally absorbed by the tree,” Mitra said. Around 800-900 parts (unit for measurement) per million of chromium and nickel are absorbed by a kilogram of Kendu leaves.

He said, a meeting was scheduled with the environmental department of Tata Steel in the first week of January to show the findings.

“We’ll recommend that the company plant a new species of trees to check air pollution. The Kendu tree will naturally clean the local environment,” Mitra said. Kendu trees are found in hilly forests.