We are radically planting new trees all over Delhi alongside transplanting big trees: CM Arvind Kejriwal
Inspected the transplanted trees at Mayur Vihar’s Gharoli Dairy Park; 190 out of 220 trees are thriving lush & green here: CM Arvind Kejriwal
Mayur Vihar’s Gharoli Dairy Park used to be filled with trash but Kejriwal Government beautified the area through tree transplantation
Previously only ten new trees were required to be planted on cutting of a tree; now it is mandatory to transplant 80% old trees and plant 10 new ones: CM Arvind Kejriwal
The Delhi government is very serious about the environment, as a result of which the tree cover of Delhi has increased from 19.97 percent to 23 percent: CM Arvind Kejriwal
Despite continuous development, the tree cover area in Delhi has not decreased in comparison to other cities of the country, but instead has increased throughout: CM Arvind Kejriwal
After the implementation of the Tree Transplantation Policy, 54 percent of the transplanted trees have survived: CM Arvind Kejriwal
We have also formed a Tree Transplantation Cell, which monitors the transplantation of trees: CM Arvind Kejriwal
In some places, to understand the success and failure of transplantation, audits will be conducted by Forest Research Institute, Dehradun: CM Arvind Kejriwal
NEW DELHI:
Delhi is the first and only state of India to implement a Tree Transplantation Policy. The Kejriwal Government has mandated transplantation of at least 80% trees at a project site in the national capital. Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal inspected the transplanted trees at Mayur Vihar’s Gharoli Dairy Park. Mayur Vihar’s Gharoli Dairy Park used to be filled with trash but the Kejriwal Government beautified the area through tree transplantation. The CM said, “We are radically planting new trees all over Delhi alongside transplanting big trees.190 out of 220 trees are thriving lush & green here. Previously only ten new trees were required to be planted on cutting of a tree; now it is mandatory to transplant 80% old trees and plant 10 new ones. The Delhi Government is very serious about the environment, as a result of which the tree cover of Delhi has increased from 19.97 percent to 23 percent. Despite continuous development, the tree cover area in Delhi has not decreased in comparison to other cities of the country, but instead has increased throughout. After the implementation of the Tree Transplantation Policy, 54 percent of the transplanted trees have survived. We have also formed a Tree Transplantation Cell, which monitors the transplantation of trees. In some places, to understand the success and failure of transplantation, audits will be conducted by Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.”
Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal highlighted the success of the Tree Transplantation Policy implemented by the Delhi Government. He informed that tree coverage of the state has increased from 19.97% to 23% ever since the Aam Aadmi Party came to power. He emphasised that the government ensured that construction of infrastructure necessary for development and service of the citizens does not take place at the cost of environmental degradation. He said, “As more roads and buildings are being constructed, trees are being cut down on a large scale which results in deforestation. Cities are turning into concrete jungles and it is becoming hard to find trees in urban areas. We are well aware of the importance trees hold in our lives. Before our government was formed, the tree cover of the state was 19.97% and given the rate at which construction has been taking place ever since our government was formed, it should have been reduced to 15-16%. However, instead of witnessing a reduction, the tree cover has increased to 23% as of today. This is a remarkable achievement.”
The CM briefed the media about the implementation of Tree Transplantation Policy by the Delhi Government which has brought a radical shift in policy regarding the issue of removal of trees to create space for construction. He continued, “One of the factors which resulted in this increase is the unprecedented success of dedicated efforts made by the Delhi Government, which is quite sensitive to environmental issues. We make sure that massive afforestation drives take place throughout the year. We have also profited greatly from the Delhi Government’s implementation of the ‘Tree Transplantation Policy’, which effectively addressed the problem of trees being cut down to make way for building. The old regulation in such cases specified that if a single tree had to be taken down, ten new saplings were to be planted to make up for the environmental damage. Because saplings are small and cannot perfectly replace a fully grown tree, this technique was ineffective. A full-grown tree gives shade and fresh air while saplings will take time to reach that stage and there is no guarantee that all of them will attain the stage of a full-grown tree.”
The CM underlined the fact that the Delhi Government has the vision and rational approach to involve scientific temper in its method of working. He asserted that the latest technology should be utilised to ensure that development and environment protection go hand-in-hand. He said, “Delhi is the first and the only state in the country to implement ‘Tree Transplantation Policy’ wherein instead of cutting the tree, it will be transplanted to another suitable place with the help of technology. This must be done in addition to the prior policy’s requirement of planting 10 seedlings. No other country had the foresight or fortitude to implement such a policy. Science has advanced to the point that it is now possible to uproot a tree along with its soil and replant it in a new location. This technique served as the foundation for the ‘Tree Transplantation Policy’, which mandates that at least 80% of all trees required to be removed in any project be transplanted rather than cut down. This is now a crucial requirement.”
CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal presented the details of the outcome of Tree Transplantation Policy in a manner which defines his politics which is honesty and integrity. He did not shy away from accepting the shortcomings registered during the implementation and provided a pragmatic future course of action to learn from mistakes through a proper analysis by experts from Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. He concluded, “Today we have gathered here to see 220 transplanted trees out of which 190 trees have survived. They arrived in February, with some arriving in October of the previous year. They are still standing and are green in colour, as you can see. Approximately 30 of them were injured or died as a result of the process. This site with the transplanted trees has been the most successful, and we realise that the others haven’t fared as well. We’re still learning, and the forest service has set up a separate tree transplantation cell to keep track of the agencies participating in the process. We’ll have the results audited by the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun to figure out what’s causing the discrepancies in the results at different places where trees were transplanted. This will help us in improving the process of tree transplantation in future. The Delhi Government implemented this policy in October 2020 and till now, 54% of trees which were transplanted have survived.”
Environment Minister Shri Gopal Rai said, “Previously, trees were cut to make way for development work in Delhi, and new plants were planted in their place. After learning that the newly planted saplings took a long time to grow, the Delhi Government announced the first ‘Tree Transplantation Policy’ in India in October 2020, requiring that 80 percent of trees cut down for any project be transplanted to another location. Aside from that, this policy necessitates the planting of ten times the number of trees in place of those that have been cut. We visited the Mayur Vihar Tree Transplantation Site today with Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, where 190 of the 220 transplanted trees were found to be growing well, with an estimated survival rate of 86.3 percent.”
He added, “Different departments and agencies have different survival rates when it comes to tree transplantation, according to the department’s report. In this study, the average tree survival rate was discovered to be 54 percent. Furthermore, due to the poor performance of a number of agencies and departments, the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun has been directed to conduct a third-party audit of the departments’ tree transplanting. Our government’s goal is to increase the amount of green area in Delhi as much as possible in order to alleviate the city’s pollution problem. The greenery created by transplantation will undoubtedly benefit Delhi residents’ ecosystem while also promoting biodiversity conservation.”
CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Delhi is the first state in the country to have a tree transplantation policy. To keep Delhi green, we are planting new trees every year and also transplanting big trees. Visited Mayur Vihar today and saw the transplanted trees. 190 out of 220 trees have become lush & green again.
Earlier, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who came to inspect the Gharoli Dairy Park, was briefed by the officials about the status of the trees transplanted under the Tree Transplantation Policy. Officials said that Gharoli Dairy Park had no boundary earlier. The boundary was built in 2021. Earlier it was open here and there was a dairy and cows and buffaloes used to live here and garbage was spread all around. The Delhi government developed this park in 2021, and it has since grown into a lovely park. Officials claim that 220 trees have been transplanted in Gharoli Dairy Park, with 190 of them surviving. Delhi is the first state in the country to implement this tree transplantation policy. It is now mandatory to save 80 percent of all trees transplanted under this policy. Before the trees are transplanted, two things are done. The tree must first be prepared for transplantation. Second, one must prepare the area where the tree will be transplanted. Pre-transplantation can take anywhere from 21 to 60 days. The tree is prepared for transplantation during this time. The tree’s side roots are cut, and when new roots sprout from the cut roots, the tree is ready for transplantation. The roots are then tied from all sides, loaded onto a truck, and transplanted to their new location. After examining the soil, we apply manure and other nutrients to the area where the tree will be transplanted.
Transplantation of trees at more than 80 projects done
It is noteworthy that according to the Indian State of Forest Report, the green cover of Delhi has increased from 19.97 percent in 2011 to 23.06 percent in 2021, which is the highest among the big cities of India. The per capita forest cover for Delhi is 9.6 percent, compared to 7.2 for other metropolitan cities, 7.2 for Hyderabad, 8.2 for Mumbai, 5.4 for Mumbai, 2.1 for Chennai and 0.1 for Kolkata. The Delhi government had launched the Tree Transplantation Policy in October 2020. This is the first such policy in the country, which ensures that 80 percent of the trees cut in any project must be transplanted to another favourable site and 80 percent of them survive. This will be the responsibility of that agency. According to the policy, if one tree is cut, then 10 new saplings have to be planted. The organisation will be responsible for the transplantation of trees, which will also ensure that 80 percent of the total number of transplanted trees survive after one year of transplantation. The Delhi government has given approval for over 80 projects where trees were affected. The Forest and Wildlife Department has ensured that 80 per cent of those trees are transplanted at suitable places.
These procedures are adopted during transplantation –
- After identifying the tree for transplantation, the tree is treated accordingly to remove any termites or insects, after which the roots of the trees are cut and fertiliser is sprayed.
- This is followed by soil backfilling and fungal treatment and the tree is left for at least one month before scaffolding and packing.
- Then it is left again for 15 days, till the trees start living on their own. Only after that it is transplanted to the new place.
Formation of Tree Transplantation Cell to monitor transplantation of trees
A Tree Transplantation Cell has also been constituted by the Delhi Government under this policy, which oversees the relocation of trees. The Delhi Transplantation Policy was approved in October 2020. However, the Delhi Government had been recommending transplantation since 2018. Appropriate transplant procedures were put in place and firms were empaneled after the policy was passed. The survival percentage after policy approval is 54 percent. At the same time, 220 trees were transplanted in the park located at Mayur Vihar, whose survival rate is 86 percent. Two main reasons are being given for the low survival rate of trees. The first is that in some cases the soil conditions at the transplanted site are not favourable for the tree. At the same time, another reason is that some plant species like guava and neem do not respond well after transplantation.
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CM Arvind Kejriwal appeals to Haryana to release water in Yamuna
Responding to the questions of the media, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal said that the water level of Yamuna is continuously decreasing and requested the Haryana Government to release some water. “I am requesting the Haryana Government to cooperate. I will be bringing this issue in today’s meeting with LG and request him to also ask Haryana Government on his part to release water in river Yamuna so that people of Delhi can get some relief”