In a bid to increase green cover in the city, the Delhi government has asked the major land and road-owning agencies to start vertical gardening.
Delhi Environment and Forest Minister Imran Hussain wrote to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the government’s Public Works Department (PWD) and the three municipal corporations telling them about the methods to increase green cover. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) had started its vertical gardening initiative in 2017 with tall towers of potted plants at roundabouts.
Some pillars under flyovers have also been covered with vertical greenery by other agencies since then.
In letters addressed to PWD Minister Satyendar Jain, DDA Vice-Chairperson Udai Pratap Singh and the mayors of the corporations, Neema Bhagat, Preeti Aggarwal and Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Mr. Hussain wrote that the government had been monitoring the agencies’ efforts to plant trees.
“Green cover can also be enhanced by undertaking greening activities on buildings, flyovers including spaces/columns underneath flyovers, etc. This will also help in neutralising air pollution due to dust and vehicular emissions,” he wrote, adding that the agencies should undertake vertical gardening.
Non-portable water
Mr. Hussain’s move comes after Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal directed the municipalities and the DDA last week to carry out vertical gardening on flyovers and to use only non-potable water for the same.
