This monsoon, record 5L saplings planted in Ggm

Gurugram: The Gurugram district administration in cooperation with various city resident welfare associations (RWA) and civil society groups has planted close to 5 lakh saplings this year across the city, officials here said, adding that an extended monsoon this year had provided a fillip to government agencies as well as the residents of Gurugram to undertake a massive tree plantation drive.

While most RWAs focused on planting new saplings in their residential societies, several agencies of the district administration planted saplings near the Delhi-Jaipur expressway, areas around the Aravalli forests and on the outskirts of Gurugram city. According to government officials, on

average close to one lakh saplings have been planted in Gurugram every monsoon for the last five years.

Massive tree plantation drives especially during the months of monsoon have gained traction in Gurugram over the recent years. Rapid urbanisation has resulted in not only diminishing green cover but also massive depletion of groundwater reserves.

Poor air quality levels in Gurugram due to poisonous air pollution have also resulted in a lot of residents coming out and planting saplings in their neighbourhoods — in a desperate bid to be able to breathe air that is a little cleaner.

While activities of planting new saplings are being encouraged in large numbers, Gurugram is also facing a huge challenge of maintaining these saplings and their tree cover.

With several major infrastructural projects being undertaken in Gurugram presently, thousands of trees are being axed every year. Even in the past Gurugram has lost a sizable amount of its green cover due to infrastructural activities and illegal encroachment in forest areas of Gurugram.

While certain new saplings have been planted in the places of trees that have been

axed several cases have been reported where lack of maintenance has resulted in saplings dying early due to a lack of nourishment. For a one-stop source to keep track of trees in the city, the district administrations had planned a mobile application that would tell one the number of surviving trees in their area and the new saplings that have been planted. However, bureaucratic delays have delayed the development of this app.