A Battle Against Air Pollution: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Launches Mega Drive To Plant 5 Lakh Saplings In A Day

Mumbai: “Today, our children, men, women, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) everyone is planting a tree in Delhi. The fight against air pollution has taken the form of a people’s movement. In one of the plantation drives, children even declared that planting trees is a form of patriotism. I have also planted a tree and I appeal you to do the same,” said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as he launched Delhi’s biggest ever plantation drive on September 8. Planting a sapling at the Yamuna floodplain in Usmanpur village, he said that five lakh trees are being planted across 643 locations in the city.

Talking about the air pollution levels in Delhi, the Chief Minister quoted a few studies and said that 70 per cent of pollution in Delhi originated beyond its borders, but this cannot be an excuse to avoid tackling the situation.

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A large number of school children attended the tree plantation event held at Yamuna flood plains at Garhi Mandu in Usmanpur. Around 32,000 saplings were planted at the venue of the event. More than 1.25 lakh school children planted the trees across the city.

A K Singh, Delhi government’s Environment and Forest Secretary, who was also present at the event said that government’s overall target is to plant 32.5 lakh tress by end of this year and so far, around 15 lakh trees have been planted. While state environment minister Imran Hussain planted saplings at Jaunpur Forest and at his residence, Cabinet Minister Kailash Gahlot planted saplings along with school in Mitraon Forest Park in Najafgarh.

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The decision to increase city’s green cover by five lakh plants in one day was taken a month ago by Mr Hussain after he reviewed the deteriorating air quality in the capital. In the meeting Mr Hussain had directed the Delhi Parks and Gardens Society, a society to coordinate the management of parks and gardens in National Capital Territory Delhi, to ensure free distribution of saplings before the drive.

Also Read: Delhi To Have A Wall Of 31 Lakh Trees Around It To Shield It From Dust Storms

In the meeting, greening agencies were also asked to ensure high survival rate to make the plantation drive a success. Mr Hussain had asked agencies to make necessary arrangements for independent audit so as to monitor the survival rate of the plantation drive. It was also directed that feasibility of procuring machines for geo-tagging of plantation be explored at the earliest so as to trace and keep track of the survival of plants.

Also Read: Bring Greenery To Your Home And Bid Adieu To Pollution: A Complete Guide To Do Vertical Gardening At Home

From Children’s Park CSP Zone, under North Municipal Corporation of Delhi, barren lands of Garhi Mandu to Jahapanah forest in Greater Kailash, here are some of the glimpses of Delhi’s biggest plantation drive:

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NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.