Delhi to soon get 17 new forests

Delhi plans to create 17 new forests across 195 acres, including 15 city forests and 2 dense Miyawaki forests, starting plantation next month.

The Capital is set to get 17 new forests spread over nearly 195 acres, with the government preparing to begin plantation work as early as next month. Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Tuesday that while 15 of these will be city forests – called Namo Van – two others will be dense Miyawaki forests in southwest Delhi.

Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa. (PTI)

Simultaneous tenders for all 17 forests have already been floated, officials said, adding that bids will be opened and awarded soon, officials aware of the matter said.

“These forests will come up largely on barren land, transforming unused stretches into green pockets,” Sirsa said. “These will not only provide citizens with more green spaces to enjoy, but it will help in regulating temperature and also aide our fight against air pollution.”

Sirsa said the plan was finalised at a meeting chaired last month by chief minister Rekha Gupta. “Under her vision, we have identified 15 sites where Namo Van will be created,” he told HT.

According to documents reviewed by HT, the forest department has identified two sites in its south division – Satbari (18.6 acres) and Maidangarhi (18.6 acres). The remaining sites are concentrated in north and northwest Delhi, under the north forest division, including seven in Rohini and three in Narela.

In Rohini, the proposed forests will come up at Barwala (2.33 acres), Pehladpur Bagar in Sector 30 (3.33 acres), Pehladpur Bagar A-1 (5.4 acres), Pansali in Sector 32 (2.16 acres), Mahamudpura Mazri A (4.12 acres), Pansali in Sector 31 (38.34 acres), and Sector 32 Rohini (5.69 acres). In Narela, the sites include an 11-acre forest at C-B4 Narela, Mamurpur (1.18 acres), and two more pockets – G7 and G8 – together covering 15 acres. Three additional forests are planned in north Delhi’s Alipur, spread over 12, 12.2 and 28 acres.

The two Miyawaki forests will be established in Kharkhari Jatmal (6.02 acres) and Jainpur (11.21 acres), both near Najafgarh. Miyawaki forests – pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki – grow about 30 times denser than conventional ones by planting native saplings close together to form compact ecosystems. Officials said such forests have high rates of carbon sequestration and can mature within a few years.

Sirsa said one of the two Miyawaki sites will be dedicated to the memory of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, ahead of his 350th martyrdom anniversary next month.

A senior forest department official said all preliminary work, including soil testing, has been completed, and the first phase of plantation could begin in November. “If weather conditions aren’t suitable, we’ll begin in February,” the official said. “Typically, Miyawaki forests begin to look like forests within six to eight months of plantation, helped by a good monsoon. Conventional city forests, by contrast, take around four to five years to mature.”

The official added that each forest will feature at least 10 different tree species to promote biodiversity. “In Miyawaki forests, saplings are planted right next to one another. In Namo Vans, we will maintain 3x3 metre spacing between large trees, with shrubs and grasses filling the gaps,” the official said.

Chief minister Gupta had first announced the Namo Van plan last month, calling it a major step toward making Delhi greener and cleaner. “After her announcement, multiple meetings were held to identify suitable locations,” the official said. “We decided to prioritise barren pockets instead of existing green spaces to ensure genuine expansion of green cover.”

Faiyaz Khudsar, a Delhi-based wildlife researcher, said that while creating new forests is a positive step, success depends on using native species. “The Aravalli belt in south Delhi requires Aravalli-native trees, while the Yamuna floodplain ecosystem in the north needs native riparian species,” Khudsar said. “A forest ecosystem must be layered – beginning with native grasses, followed by tree saplings forming the canopy, the mid-storey, and the understory of shrubs and herbs. A fully functional forest system can take up to seven years to mature.”