Capital sees a marginal increase in green cover

Contrary to perception that Delhi’s green cover is shrinking, a series of initiatives launched by the city government’s forest department in the past two years has increased the green cover slightly from 20.08 per cent to 20.22 per cent.

To further increase the green cover in Delhi, the city’s forest department that used to set a target of 10 lakh tree plantations every year, has now increased it by five lakh mid-size trees this year.

The AAP government has also made fervent appeals to people to plant as many trees as they can in open spaces. The city legislators along with the forest department officials have on a regular basis been carrying out plantation drives in their respective constituencies. As per India’s National Forest Policy, 1988, all states have to maintain 33 per cent of their geographical area under forest and tree cover. The forest cover of the city, spread across 1,483 sq.km, had increased from six per cent in 1999 to 20.8 per cent in 2013, mainly due to plantation activity carried out in non-forest areas. Now, the green cover has further increased to 20.22 per cent in the past two years.

Buoyed by the success, a senior city government officer said: “This year, we are going to plant a total of 15 lakh trees. These will include five lakh shrubs, basically mid-size trees, which we will plant along the roads and in open patches to further increase our green cover.” “Our green drive will not only increase the forest cover,” said the officer, “but will also reduce noise pollution on busy and congested roads. We will also be adding canopies in open patches of our parks.”

At present, if any individual or agency cuts a single tree in the city, the one responsible for this is bound to plant five trees in any open patch. In addition, the forest department on its part also plants five trees for this. So far, the forest department has planted about four lakh trees in various parts of the city this year. The target for plantation of 15 lakh trees will not be met alone by the forest department. In fact, the city government has set targets for the plantation of trees for other agencies as well.