Delhi To Develop 17 Urban Forests To Boost Green Cover, Combat Air Pollution

The Delhi government is set to transform 15 scattered patches of vacant land across the national capital into dense urban forests, called 'Namo Vans,' to enhance the city's green cover and combat air pollution.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and other key officials, held a meeting in this regard.

Officials said that these Namo Vans will cover an area of over 177 acres. And after their development, along with two Miyawaki forests, there will be 17 urban forests in the national capital. The work is likely to commence soon, with the plantation planned from November.

"These new forests will not only enhance the beauty of the national capital but also create much-needed green spaces for our residents," Sirsa told PTI.

"We are taking every possible step to make Delhi greener and reduce pollution. These dense green zones will serve as natural lungs for the city," he said.

Stretching across the North and South Forest Divisions, the Namo Vans will come up in Sathbari and Maidan Garhi in the South, and Shahpur Garhi, Alipur, B4 Narela, Mamurpur, G7 and G8 Narela, Barwala in Sector 32 Rohini, Pehladpur Bagar in Sector 30 Rohini, Pansali in Sector 32 Rohini, Mahamudpura Mazri A in Rohini, Pansali in Sector 31 Rohini, and Sector 32 Rohini in the North.

Presently, tenders have been floated, with bids to be evaluated and awarded soon, Sirsa said.

The two Miyawaki forests will come up in southwest Delhi. As many as 3.5 lakh saplings of native species will be planted in Kharkhari Jatmal (2.44 hectares) and Jainpur (4.54 hectares), both located near Najafgarh, where one of them will be named after Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Miyawaki forests, which are 30 times denser than regular forests, were pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in the 1980s. In these forests, saplings are planted closely to form a dense ecosystem that promotes faster growth and higher carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture.

Officials said that while a Miyawaki plantation will appear dense in six to eight months, creating a conventional forest will require several years.

"If plantation cannot commence in November due to low temperature, then we will carry out plantation from February," a forest official said.

In September, CM Gupta announced that the Namo Vans would be created across the national capital to combat air pollution.

The initiative is part of a larger push to create more green spaces in Delhi while addressing pollution and ensuring environmental sustainability for future generations, officials said. 

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