The NCR has witnessed several dust storms this past couple of months and the Delhi Forest Department has come up with a solution for it.
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It's planning to build a ¡®wall¡¯ of trees around the capital that will act as a natural barrier to dust storms.?
The Union and state government had spoken to the Lieutenant Governor about their plan to plant 28 lakh saplings of native trees around Delhi during the monsoon plantation this year. Now, the number has been increased to 32 lakh. The officials claim that in a few years these saplings will turn into trees and it will act as a natural barrier against dust storms from the neighbouring states like Rajasthan.
A Delhi forest official told TOI?¡±This time our focus will be on the outskirts like Asola, Tughlakabad, Aya Nagar, Narela, Sawda, Ghevra and Yamuna Floodplains. We will plant both native shrubs and saplings and our intention is also to replenish the ridge so that it acts as a barrier.¡±
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As per a senior official, several government agencies have already started work on the project. The natural barrier will come along Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, the Aravali and the Yamuna Bank forests.
The project has two objectives - first, to absorb particulate matter and second, to shield Delhi from dust storms. Native trees like mango, mahua, pilkhan and goolar along with some other species like peepal, neem, amla and jamun have been chosen for the project.
The Delhi forest department plans to achieve this ambitious plan by this year and it has been formally launched on July 7.
The Delhi Development Authority, the Central Public Works Department, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation along with other government agencies and? Delhi¡¯s municipal corporations will implement the project in their respective areas in the national capital.
The maximum number of trees will be planted by DDA (10 lakh) followed by the forest department (4.22 lakh).
Each agency will look after the saplings in their region for two years, after which an independent agency will conduct a ¡®survival audit¡¯ to examine the survival rate of the trees and take further remedial action. The audit is proposed to be conducted by Forest Research Institute, Dehradun in 2019 and the report will be ready in 2020.