Ghaziabad to plant 927,000 new saplings, loses 22000 fully grownup trees under road project

Records indicate that a combined plantation of approximately 3,064,593 trees took place between 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23, surpassing the target of 2,340,929 trees for the three-year period

The Ghaziabad district is facing a significant challenge this season as it aims to plant 927,000 trees, while simultaneously preparing for the loss of approximately 22,000 fully grown trees due to the proposed 111km-long Kanwar Marg project.

The project entails the construction of a road connecting Muradnagar to Purkaji, near the UP-Uttarakhand border, running alongside the Upper Ganga Canal (UGC). (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

According to officials, this project entails the construction of a road connecting Muradnagar to Purkaji, near the UP-Uttarakhand border, running alongside the Upper Ganga Canal (UGC).

Officials from the divisional forest department anticipate receiving the necessary approvals for tree felling in the next 2-3 months.

Manish Singh, the divisional forest officer, said, “Once we receive the necessary approval, the felling activity is expected to commence in the next 2-3 months. Compensatory afforestation will take place in Lalitpur district due to the shortage of land here. Given the toll that previous projects have taken on the region’s trees, we are striving to achieve a high survival rate for the newly planted saplings.”

To ensure effective monitoring, all trees in the plantation drive will be geo-tagged, officials said. Additionally, a two-year maintenance plan will be implemented to promote the survival of the newly planted trees for at least three years, allowing them to grow and mature. Soil tilling, watering, and protection from stray cattle are among the protective measures to be implemented, officials added.

The divisional forest officer further added, “The plantation will follow the norm of approximately 1600 trees per hectare. With two years of maintenance, we anticipate a survival rate of 95% in the first year, 90% in the second year, and 80% in the third year. Subsequently, if the survival rate reaches 35-40% at the end of 10 years, the plantation will be considered successful.”

Although the exact number of trees felled due to various projects is not readily available, according to officials. Records indicate that a combined plantation of approximately 3,064,593 trees took place between 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23, surpassing the target of 2,340,929 trees for the three-year period.

The Forest Survey of India (FSI) released a “state of forest” report in January 2022, revealing that out of Ghaziabad’s total geographic area of 1,179 sq km, only 25.22 sq km, or approximately 2.14% of the total area, is covered by forests. This figure remains consistent with the 2019 assessment, which showed a decline from 2.21% coverage in 2017.

According to officials, around 120,000 trees are likely to be felled under the 111km-long Kanwar Marg project.

Sushil Raghav, an environmentalist based in the city, said that with prevailing conditions, permission for felling should not be given if there is no land available here for compensatory afforestation.

“The officials should be widening the existing road on one side of the Kanwar Marg, rather than clearing trees to construct a new road,” Raghav said adding that the felling will immensely impact the wildlife habitat and deprive Ghaziabad of fully grown-up old trees.