Delhi has most forest area among India’s mega cities: Govt report
According to the United Nations criteria of urban agglomerations, a mega city has a population of 10 million or more.
Delhi continues to have the largest forest cover among India’s mega cities, the State of Forest report, released by the Forest Survey of India has revealed. However, the Capital’s forest cover recorded a minute reduction of 0.08 sq km between 2021 and 2023, the report released on Saturday said.
According to the United Nations criteria of urban agglomerations, a mega city has a population of 10 million or more. In India, six cities meet this criterion — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. In addition, Ahmedabad is also a rapidly growing city that is on the verge of becoming a mega city, and the State of Forest report added the Gujarat city to this list.
Also read | Delhi's AQI improves after 3 days, to jump back to “severe”
The report states that Delhi recorded 195.28 sq km of forest cover in 2023 — which translates to 13.17% of Delhi’s total area of 1,483 sq km. This was a slight reduction of the 195.36 sq km of forest cover recorded in 2021 — the last time a State of Forest report was released.
Mumbai is second on the list, with a forest cover of 110.84 sq km, followed by Bengaluru (89.61 sq km).
However, Ahmedabad has seen the maximum gain in forest cover (5.48 sq km), while Chennai logged the maximum loss (2.64 sq km).
“The forest cover in major mega cities can vary widely depending on the city’s location, policies, and environmental priorities. Some cities have significant green spaces and forested areas, while others have limited greenery due to urbanization,” the report said.
According to the State of Forest report, Delhi’s total forest cover — which also includes the region’s tree cover — has increased by 4.89 sq km between 2021 and 2023 to 371.31 sq km, which is nearly 25% of the Capital’s total area.
Also read | Review all pleas for chopping 50+ trees in Delhi: Top court to CEC
The report also monitored decadal change in Delhi’s forest cover in the period 2013 and 2023, and revealed that the Capital’s forest cover has increased by 8.3% — from 180.32 sq km to 195.28 sq km. In the same period, the Capital’s tree cover increased from 118 sq km to 176.03 sq km.
Among the Capital’s districts, south Delhi is the greenest, with 44.58% (70.89 sq km) of its total area of 159 sqkm area under forest cover, the report said. The Shahdara district had the lowest forest and tree cover, with just 2.65% (0.90 sq km) of its total area of 34 sq km area under some form of forest.
Meanwhile, New Delhi recorded the maximum loss of total forest area, with the district logging a reduction of 0.91 sq km of green spaces. However, New Delhi continues to be one of the greenest areas in the Capital, with 31.18% of its area of 156 sq km under some form of forest.
A senior official from the state forest department said the reasons behind the loss of tree cover in New Delhi will need to be analysed. “However, when we look at the entire city geographically, it is more or less balanced. One area might suffer a loss one year but if it is subsequently compensated by a nearby area, then the net result is satisfactory,” the official said, on condition of anonymity.
According to the report, the vilayati kikar (prosopis juliflora) is the most dominant tree within Delhi’s reserved forest areas, followed by babool (acacia lenticularis). Outside Delhi’s forest areas, the most common tree is subabool (leucaena leucocephala) in urban Delhi, and vilayati kikar in rural areas.
Experts said the proliferation of subabool — now every fourth tree in urban areas — is a cause of concern.
“Vilayati kikar has been an invasive species in Delhi that has been discredited enough, but the authorities need to watch out for subabool that has slowly crept into Delhi’s green areas. In the past few years, this tree has taken over the landscape of Delhi and is not of much benefit while it also requires much water. It is invasive and grows easily without needing much attention,” said environmentalist and author Pradeep Krishen.