The dwindling forest cover in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan has provoked the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) to direct the States to increase forest cover to at least 20 per cent.

The NCRPB held a meeting to review the actions being taken by its four member States, along with Punjab, to curb rising air pollution, and asked them to submit their action plan.

The meeting, chaired by Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu, was attended by Minister of State for Urban Development Rao Inderjit Singh, Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar, Forests Minister of Haryana Rao Narvir Singh, and Urban Development Minister of Delhi Satyendra Jain, besides other officials.

One of the key directions related to forest cover, which the NCRPB noted had declined in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to3.30 per cent in 2012, from 4.30 per cent in 1999. This, these states have been asked to ramp up to 20 per cent of total geographical area in a phased manner. The recommendation, however, still falls short of the targeted 33 per cent green cover under the National Forest Policy.

While Delhi has been famous for significant green cover as compared to most other metro cities, it continues to fall significantly below the 33 per cent.

Tree cover in States According to a report on Tree Cover (from the India State of Forest Report, 2015) by the Forest Survey of India, tree cover in the national Capital stands at just 7.49 per cent, which is still considerably higher than most cities.

However, in the same year, an Economic Survey report, tabled in Delhi Assembly, pegged the city’s forest and tree cover at a high 20 per cent.

Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan were estimated to have tree cover of 3.07 per cent, 2.92 per cent and 2.42 per cent, respectively.

The NCRPB in a statement said: “Forest and tree cover is to be increased through conservation of entire Aravalli range spread in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan, including its foothills up to appropriate extent, for groundwater recharge and to maintain over all environmental balance, afforestation wherever feasible, including in land parcels of Aravallis that have scarce vegetation, creation of green buffers around lakes, water bodies and ponds, waste lands, village common lands, along road sides and railway lines etc.”

Recommendations made Further, the NCRPB also asked the States to consider the recommendations made under the ‘Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and Green House Gases in Delhi’ commissioned by the Delhi Government.

It has defined an action plan for issues such as managing crop residue burning and municipal solid waste, retrofitting of diesel particulate filters and implementation of BS-VI for all diesel vehicles, promotion of electric/hybrid vehicles, reducing sulphur content in industrial fuel to less than 500 PPM, stopping use of coal in 9,000 hotels/restaurants in Delhi, LPG to all, vacuum sweeping of major roads, and others.

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