L-G, Union min launch plantation drive for restoration of Yamuna floodplains
New Delhi: L-G V K Saxena and Union Minister for Environment Bhupender Yadav launched a plantation drive for restoration of the Yamuna floodplains on the 11-km stretch between Bela Farms and Garhi Mandu in North East Delhi on Tuesday.
About 10,000 children from schools, colleges and universities and residents participated in the drive. The L-G and the Union Environment Minister, along with children planted 5,000 saplings.
More than 4 lakh saplings of riverine grasses including Kaas, Moonj and Vetiver, 70,000 bamboo saplings and 13,500 saplings of flowering plants including Gulmohar, Takoma, Amaltas, Dhak and Semal will adorn this stretch of the Yamuna bank, in the process helping restore the floodplains and rejuvenate the Yamuna through a sustainable and aesthetically appealing natural eco system.
Saxena said that, following the National Green Tribunal order in January, work on rejuvenation of the Yamuna was going on in mission mode and going by the results that are visible in terms of cleaning of Najafgarh drain, cleaning of Kudsia Ghat and development of the floodplains at Asita East, Asita West and Baansera, one could expect ‘good results’ very soon.
He further added that all Departments and civic agencies of Delhi were working as a team to clean the Yamuna, which had turned into a polluted drain due to neglect and isolated efforts by agencies during the last 30 years.
He said all efforts towards rejuvenation of the river are getting active support of people and children of Delhi.
“Our PM says that no work can be done without public participation and I am happy to state that we have received immense cooperation from the people of Delhi in this drive,” he said.
DDA has chalked out an extensive plantation exercise that involves a triple-grid layered design wherein the first layer of the grid will have riverine grasses, the second layer will have bamboo plantations and in the third layer various flowering and fruit bearing trees/plants will be planted. In the first phase, plantation will be carried out over 4.50 lakh sq meter of land that includes bamboo plantation over 2 lakh sq meter of land, riverine grasses over 70,000 sq meter and flowering trees over 1.80 lakh sq meter of land.
