Last Updated: 26 Dec 2024

Delhi's Green cover has risen
-- From 20% in 2015^[1] to 25% in 2023^[2]
-- From 299 sq. km in 2015^[1:1] to 371.31 sq. km in 2023^[2:1]

Delhi has the highest per capita Green cover^[3][4]

Impact: The impact of these environment driven policies have resulted in decreasing the air pollution of Delhi by 30%^[3:1]

¶ Mega Tree Plantation Drives^[3:2][5]

“Tree cover is decreasing in most cities across the world, but in Delhi it is on the rise due to our successful plantation drive” Kejriwal said^[6]

March 2024:

-- 78.4 lakh saplings added to its green cover in year 2023-24^[7]
-- 2 crore trees/shrubs planted in Delhi over last 4 yrs^[7:1]

• Survival rate has been between 60-75%, as per survey report conducted before Covid; Fresh reports sought^[7:2]
• Delhi Govt sets a target of planting 63,00,000 additional Plants in next 1 year i.e. 2024-25^[7:3]
• A total of 2.25 crore seedlings already planted by AAP Govt in first 8 years since 2015^[8]

Cities and Forest cover in 2021^[9]

¶ Development of City Forests^[5:1]

17 City forests already developed and 6 more being developed

Average monthly visitors in city forests is 18000 per month^[10]

¶ Tree Transplantation Policy^[11]

The policy was approved by the Delhi Cabinet in October 2020 and notified in December 2020

Delhi is the first state of India to have introduced such a tree transplantation policy to safeguard the environment & nature

• No tree shall be removed under development projects unless absolutely necessary
• A minimum of 80% of trees affected by a project will be transplanted
• This is over and above compensatory afforestation of planting of 10 saplings
• The agencies which are responsible for transplantation must ensure that 80% of the transplanted trees survive after a year and their payment is linked to this

References:

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1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/delhis-green-cover-rose-to-236-since-aap-came-to-power/article67641804.ece ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

2. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/delhi-has-most-forest-area-among-india-s-mega-cities-101734805255337.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

3. https://www.mid-day.com/amp/news/india-news/article/delhis-green-cover-to-be-increased-to-25-in-coming-years-says-cm-kejriwal-23299382 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

4. https://telanganatoday.com/delhi-has-highest-per-capita-green-cover-cm-arvind-kejriwal ↩︎

5. https://ddc.delhi.gov.in/sites/default/files/2022-06/Delhi-Government-Performance-Report-2015-2022.pdf ↩︎ ↩︎

6. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/cm-launches-annual-plantation-drive-with-goal-of-52-lakh-saplings/article66565131.ece/amp/ ↩︎

7. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/2-crore-trees-shrubs-planted-in-delhi-over-4-yrs-gopal-rai-9210835/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

8. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/1-7-crore-saplings-planted-in-7-years-says-rai/articleshow/86591147.cms ↩︎

9. https://www.outlookindia.com/national/real-time-pollution-data-lab-to-come-up-in-every-district-in-delhi-news-272183 ↩︎

10. https://delhiplanning.delhi.gov.in/sites/default/files/Planning/generic_multiple_files/q3_achievement_of_ob_2022-23_upto_31st_dec_2022.pdf ↩︎

11. https://ddc.delhi.gov.in/our-work/5/delhi-tree-transplantation-policy-2020 ↩︎