Annual plantation has ameliorated degraded sites, Yamuna bank in Delhi: FRI report

New Delhi: The plantation undertaken in Delhi under the city government's "Greening Delhi Mission" since 2016 has ameliorated degraded sites and the Yamuna bank which were left fallow, the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, has said in a report. 

The FRI, which conducted an audit of sapling plantation undertaken from 2016 to 2019, said the plants will act as bio-remedial agents which will be helpful in controlling water pollution at the Yamuna bank. 

"Under 'Greening Delhi Mission', the  government of NCT of Delhi has taken up plantations on available vacant lands in three forest divisions. The plantation started in 2016-17. It is encouraging that this plantation programme has proved the importance of the potent capacities of different species in ameliorating degraded sites and Yamuna bank which were hitherto left fallow," the audit report read.

"This result would definitely persuade others to think for the bio-remediation of large tracts adversely affected due to inflow of industrial polluted water and sewerage in Delhi," it said.

The FRI noted that the encouragement of large-scale afforestation as part of the mission will "definitely improve ecology, ameliorate the environment and augment the livelihood of the people" in the national capital.

According to the audit report released earlier this month, 72 per cent to 81 per cent of the saplings planted in Delhi between 2016 and 2019 have survived.

The government will also ask the Dehradun-based institute to conduct an audit of plantations undertaken in the last two years, Environment Minister Gopal Rai had said while releasing the report.

The survival rate stood at 80.21 per cent in the North division. In the West division, 78.5 per cent of the saplings survived in the Alipur range and 75.68 per cent in the Najafgarh range.

In the South division, the survival rate was 72 per cent in Mehrauli, 76 per cent in Asola Bhatti Phase I and 81.33 per cent in Phase 2.

Delhi's green cover has increased from 20 per cent of its geographical area in 2013 to 23.06 per cent in 2021.

The National Forest Policy aims at bringing a minimum one-third of India's total geographical area under green cover. The green cover should be at least 66 per cent of the total area in hilly regions and 20 per cent in the plains. 

Image: ANI, PTI