Aravalli Green Wall project: Haryana set to kick off efforts to revive 25,000 hectares of degraded forest areas
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the Centre's Aravalli Green Wall project on Thursday, the state government in Haryana will kick off efforts to restore 25,000 hectares of degraded forest area. The Aravalli Range has long been hailed as the 'lungs' of the National Capital Region (NCR).
On Thursday, the Prime Minister 'will lead a special tree plantation initiative at Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park in Delhi at 10:15 am, reaffirming India's commitment to environmental stewardship and green mobility' to mark World Environment Day, according to a statement from the PMO. 'The PM will plant a Banyan sapling under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam initiative. This will be part of the 'Aravalli Green Wall project' which aims to reforest the 700-km Aravalli range,' read the statement.
In Haryana, a total of 24,990.16 hectares of Recorded First Area (RFA) land will be targeted for treatment in the first phase of the project. While 3,852.73 hectares of land will be targeted in Faridabad, a total of 6,063.73 hectares of land will be targeted in Gurgaon.
Gurgaon Divisional Forest Officer Raj Kumar told The Indian Express that intensive restorative plantation efforts in the district will begin soon. 'With Thursday's launch, the project in Haryana will also be kicked off. Proper plantation towards intensively restoring the degraded forest areas is most conducive during the monsoons, which is when our efforts will truly begin on priority,' he asserted.
The Aravalli range encompasses five other districts in Haryana: Nuh, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Mahendergarh, and Charkhi Dadri.
The Aravalli range and buffer zones account for 3.11 lakh hectares (38.7%) of the total geographical area of these districts (8.05 lakh hectares). Nuh has the largest area under RFA with 14,606 hectares. Meanwhile, Charkhi Dadri is not being covered in the current phase due to a negligible recorded forest area (28 hectares), said officials.
'Site conditions in Haryana vary significantly, with patches having hilly terrain with high degradation and sparse vegetation requiring both SMC [soil and moisture conservation] work and plantations. For the treatment area, the state has proposed a restoration model for the rehabilitation of degraded areas, beginning with soil and moisture conservation efforts in the first year. Restoration will involve plantation, soil moisture conservation, check dams, percolation ponds, and seed sowing,' reads the government document titled 'Detailed Action Plan – Aravalli Landscape Restoration'.
The Indian Express on Wednesday reported that Delhi CM Rekha Gupta will join the PM for planting a tree in the Capital's Ridge area as part of the launch. The Rs 16,053-crore project aims to create a buffer zone of 5 km around the mountain range, covering 6.45 million hectares. It is slated to help in meeting India's key climate goals of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through improving tree and forest cover.
Extending from Southwest Gujarat in Champaner to Northeast Delhi and Haryana, the Aravalli range acts as a natural barrier against incursion of sand, loo, and dust from the Thar desert.
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