Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the city’s green cover has to be increased from the existing 23% to 27% in the next few years. He was speaking at a Van Mahotsav event, which was also attended by Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena
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“Delhi has more green cover than London and Tokyo. This is good news for Delhiites. Now, it is 23% and in one or two years, we have to take it to 25%, and then to 27%. We should not let it go down,” Mr. Kejriwal said, adding that among big cities in the country, Delhi has the highest green cover.
“When cities are developing, the green cover reduces. Delhi is developing fast, but its green cover is increasing. This means Delhi’s development is responsible and eco-friendly,” he said.
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The CM added that 5.5 lakh trees would be planted on Saturday and the target was over one crore trees or shrubs this year. He said air pollution in the city has dipped by 25% compared to 2015, and the number of days of “good” air quality has increased to 163 days from 105 in the past few years.
“But compared to world standards, it is still high. We still have to bring down the levels and make Delhi the most beautiful city in the world,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
‘Adopt varied methods’
Mr. Saxena also highlighted that planting trees will help Delhi fight air pollution. However, since pollution is very high in Delhi, planting trees alone will not be enough to deal with the situation, he said.
He said there should be no hesitation in experimenting with non-traditional plants. He cited the example of the city’s first bamboo theme park, Baansera, on the Yamuna floodplains, where planting of bamboo saplings has shown “good results”.