Your city has less than 1 tree per person

NEW DELHI:

Trees in Delhi

— those along avenues, in colonies and at scattered lots — have been on a decline since 2005. The protests against tree felling for the redevelopment of seven south Delhi colonies may reflect the prevailing popular anxiety, but tree cover in the city went down from 123 sq km in 2009 to 111 sq km in 2015, before rising to 113 sq km in 2017, according to the Forest Survey of India’s State of Forest Reports.


READ ALSO: No more trees will be cut for south Delhi projects: Centre

The capital’s per capita tree cover stands at an abysmal 0.002 hectare. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) puts Delhi’s per capita tree availability at 0.3, or less than one tree per person. And while forest and tree covers cannot be directly compared, Russia’s per capita forest cover of 5.58 ha, Brazil’s 2.37 ha and United States’ 0.96 ha are suggestive of these cities being in a better situation. Forest cover in Delhi has gone up marginally since 2005.
READ ALSO: ‘Chipko’ rerun to save Delhi’s lungs

FSI reports are based on data from two years prior to their publication. These, therefore, suggest that the loss in the city’s tree cover has taken place mainly in the 2005-15 decade. Tree cover reported in 2004 was even lower at 98 sq km. The tree cover data takes tree density in cities and rural areas that are outside the protected forests. While forest cover is based on canopy density above 10% in an area of one hectare or more, tree cover considers canopy density in areas below that size. “Tree cover should be increasing in cities. It can be dynamic because these are not protected forests,” explained Prakash Lakhchaura of FSI. “There can be some change due to infrastructure projects, but the overall trend should be of a rise in tree cover.”

The declining tree cover means Delhiites are being exposed to dust and severe air pollution more than earlier. “Trees are excellent trappers of dust and carbon dioxide. Trees and vegetation are also crucial to minimise the impact of heat island effect, which not only increases local temperature but also causes a rise in emission of secondary pollutants like ozone,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment. For this reason, compensatory plantations created on the outskirts may not benefit city residents much.

The FSI data indicates an increase in open forests since 2005, but a gradual and marginal decline in very dense forest cover. Experts opined this could be attributed to the government’s compensatory afforestation projects. Interestingly, Delhi government claimed on Thursday that 176 lakh saplings have been planted in the capital 2009 onwards and the survival rate has been 65%. Between 2018 and 2022, the environment department aims to plant one crore saplings to increase the green cover by 65 sq km. In doing this, experts advised considering the kind of species being planted. Efficiency of vegetation in assimilating pollution is determined by the shape and thickness of leaves. Native species are effective dust trappers. “I have even seen the forest department planting champa, pongamia, royal palm and bougainvillea. These are not even trees. You need canopied trees to fight pollution,” said C R Babu, professor emeritus, Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems. “Yes, the forest department has created a city forest and some wooded lots, but it should focus on native species.”

Explore the yearly horoscope 2025 for Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces zodiac signs. Spread love this holiday season with these New Year wishes, messages and quotes.