Plantation drives along Yamuna halted, Delhi govt to assess damage to saplings

The Van Mahotsav drives scheduled at Rewla Khanpur, Bhati mines, and at Delhi University Polo Ground are likely to go ahead

The plantations of saplings carried out by Delhi’s greening agencies along the Yamuna floodplains last winter are likely all damaged after getting inundated by floodwater, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday, adding that the forest and wildlife department will carry out an assessment soon.

The weekly Van Mahotsav plantation drive was to take place along the Yamuna floodplains. (Sanjeev Verma/HT)

The Delhi government’s weekly Van Mahotsav plantation drive for this Sunday, which was to take place along the Yamuna floodplains at Garhi Mandu, was also cancelled, with officials saying that similar events along the river were unlikely to be held this season.

“We were to start the summer plantation from Garhi Mandu on Sunday as part of the Van Mahotsav drive, but this was cancelled as the area saw widespread damage from floods. The plantation done in the winter months last year, as part of last year’s annual targets, are likely to have suffered damage and it is unlikely they survived,” said a senior forest department official, declining to be named.

Another area where saplings could be damaged and are unlikely to survive is Usmanpur. “We have not seen such levels in the past several decades and so the plantation at Usmanpur was done keeping historical levels in mind. Even they are unlikely to survive,” the official said.

The Van Mahotsav drives scheduled at Rewla Khanpur, Bhati mines, and at Delhi University Polo Ground are likely to go ahead, but the event scheduled near the Yamuna Bank Metro station is likely to be cancelled, the official said.

“At present, plantation is still being done across Delhi and that work is yet to stop. Only in six affected districts along the Yamuna is plantation at risk and therefore, the plantation event at the Yamuna Bank Metro station may also not happen,” the official said.

Faiyaz Khudsar, scientist at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP) and scientist-in-charge of the Biodiversity Parks Programme of the DDA, said certain species planted can still survive, granted they are native and are planted in the correct zone. “The river is not simply the main channel, but also has a riparian zone, an active floodplain... All zones of a river have ecological integrity to make a river as functional ecosystem,” said Khudsar.

The Delhi governement did not respond to queries seeking comment.