GURUGRAM: With the arrival of monsoon, the Haryana forest department has planned plantation drives in the city and Faridabad to increase green cover. According to the plan, 2 lakh saplings each will be planted in both the districts, while another 4 lakh saplings will be distributed to residential societies, schools and panchayats.
The move aims to improve air quality in Gurugram, which is among the most polluted cities according to IQAir —a Swiss firm. According to the report of the Swiss firm, the PM 2.5 concentration of th city increased 11% in 2021 when compared to 2020 data.
“This year, we will be planting 2 lakh saplings and 4 lakhs will be distributed to RWAs, schools and panchayats,” said Rajeev Tajyan, divisional forest officer.
Even though every year, the city witnesses large scale plantations during monsoon, the forest cover still accounts for less than 1% of Gurugram’s urban area. Notably, diminishing green cover in the city has been a big concern which has compelled the forest department to aim to plant 4 lakh saplings in the city this year.
Planting trees in large numbers without ensuring their survival is unlikely to address the problem where survival rate of sapling is only around 10 to 20%.
