Green cover up in NCR

The overall natural cover in the National Capital Region has increased, according to data compiled by the NCR Planning Board.

The overall natural cover in the National Capital Region has increased, according to data compiled by the NCR Planning Board.

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“Though the board is making efforts to increase the green cover in this region, what is heartening is that in the past couple of years the green cover has increased from 6.11% to 6.14%,” a top official said.

Officials said there were several areas like Panipat, Rewari and Gurgaon where the green cover had increased, whereas the city of Delhi itself and other areas had also seen a reduction.

NCRPB officials said that according to the data based on Forest Survey of India, the green cover in Panipat had increased from 3.61% in 2009 to 3.64% in 2011 while Rewari saw an increase from 1.32% to 3.04% in the same period.

In Gurgaon also, the green cover had increased from 8.28% to 8.35%, meaning that in the overall Haryana sub-region of NCR, there has been an increase from 3.25 per% to 3.35% in green cover.

In the Uttar Pradesh sub-region of NCR comprising Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar, the green cover in 2011 has been more or less equal to what it was in 2009.

Similar is the case of Alwar region of Rajasthan which also falls under NCR.

Officials said that in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the green cover had fallen to 11.87% in 2011 compared to 11.94% in 2009.