With the monsoon arriving in Delhi this week, government agencies are getting ready to start their greening drive that aims to plant 28 lakh saplings in 2018-2019.
On Thursday, the day the monsoon reached the Capital, Delhi Environment and Forest Minister Imran Hussain reviewed the progress of the plantation drives of various agencies, including State and Central government departments, civic bodies, DMRC and the Delhi Development Authority.
Greening agencies
Since the plantation is carried out in the rainy season, the preparations were started on June 15 and would be completed by July 7, according to the presentation by the Environment and Forest Department given during the review meeting. The department said the greening agencies would carry out the plantation between July 8 and September 15.
Through the efforts of 19 agencies as well as the distribution of 4.25 lakh free saplings, the forest department presentation said a total of 28,36,744 saplings was the target for 2018-2019. The survival rate for the saplings was 65%, the presentation said. The presentation noted that the green cover of Delhi had increased by 0.37% from 20.22% in 2015 to 20.59% in 2017, according to the Forest Survey of India Report, 2017. The target, the department said, was to increase green cover to 25% by 2022.
In 2017-2018, all the agencies combined had planted 19.63 lakh saplings, down from 24.76 lakh in 2016-2018, according to the presentation made before Mr. Hussain.
