It’s a Sunday, but instead of relaxing with loved ones, there is a group of people heading out in the sun for a plantation drive; not to plant trees, but to care for the ones they already have. Driving them is a single objective – working for the planet.

As citizens choose to become privy to an urban forestry project brought about by the residents, the volunteers, the people in administration, all in unison - the call for a ‘greener planet’ resounds itself from the busy capital of India.

This is a story of people on a mission - giving greenification a real shot, to leave a better home and world for the next generations to come.

Reviving an ecosystem lost to development

Through an initiative that has taken years of effort by a handful of resolute people, an additional 10 lakh kgs of harmful Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is absorbed, compared to a year before. To believe such a feat is possible should make it a hallmark of will.

“What usually takes 7-8 years for a tree - to reach a certain height - we have achieved in just 2-3 years with the use of a proper concept and support from everyone involved,” says Mohit Relan, a technology professional at Infosys, breaking out of his polite bearing into a beaming smile. It is not hard to imagine why he should feel proud today, if you look around one of the projects this group has undertaken.

According to the India State of Forest Report 2021, Delhi's forest cover is 13.2% of its total geographic area, less than the national average. With rampant deforestation to make way for a perennially growing settlement, the pace of afforestation hasn’t quite grown at par in the national capital.

But what if one were to imagine a greener city, roads covered in shade, flowers blooming on the roadsides, parks rich with tree covers, and better air to breathe?

Mohit believes that change is brought by the people, through action not words. And he has found his tribe. Today, they are a network of volunteers, willing to sacrifice the tropes of the weekend culture and put their valued hours into giving back to our communities, by planting and caring for trees.

When common people take up the mantle of leadership to bring change in a society, it gradually ceases to seem alien, or unachievable. What started with 2000 saplings for urban forests on roadside patches of land, is now 20000 saplings for a patch; executed and cared for by a group of volunteers, who share duties on the weekends. That is change.

Learn, re-learn, and implement

Living in apartments, human beings are slowly losing contact with the ecological world, and just planting trees won’t solve the problem. Ensuring the sapling’s survival, while encouraging diversity when nature is disappearing from urban environments at an alarming rate, is the real challenge.

To restore some semblance of balance, the group got onto the herculean task of greenifying the city, one patch of land at a time. They learnt new concepts with each drive and implemented management skills to ensure outcomes. Challenges were identified early on, for quick addressal and better success. After all, the success rate of a citizen-led movement determines any further interest from others to get involved.

An opportunity to test the efficacy of these plantations at a large scale arrived when a mountain of horror for East Delhi residents, the Ghazipur Landfill Site needed immediate attention. Commissioned in 1984 with a permitted height of 20 metres, which it had breached by 2002, the site continues to receive 2200 MT garbage daily. “In a 70-acre area, there was an existing 100 lakh MT waste, with fresh dumps”, Kazim of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) helps visualize the atrocity.

For a forestry project to be viable, the land needs to be clear of toxins, concrete and soil damaging elements.

As retired Chief Engineer (MCD) Pradeep Khandelwal puts it, “Working in landfills is difficult with many hazards associated with it - poisonous gases, toxic waste, accidental fires and more. Drawing on our past collaborations with Mohit on roadsides and parks, we sought his expertise”.

As ideas evolved and enthusiasm surged, four key stakeholders were identified in this ecosystem as garbage generators – households, businesses, housing societies, and market associations. The work began.

Kazim outlines the very fundamentals of the task. “To flatten this mount is a challenge that we cannot address without the public’s help. If the waste is segregated at the source, it could make a whole lot of difference.”

Why do it now?

No promise of returns, no one to remunerate for the hours. So, what drives these individuals to continue this work every week?

Ankush Bhati, a young volunteer with a day job, has dedicated the weekends of the last few years as a site manager for several plantation projects. “Once I was at a site where we sat under the shade of the trees we had planted a year back, that day I knew this is what I am meant to do,” he beamed.

From orchestrating labour to coordinating tractors for digging, or water tanks for irrigation, Bhati oversees the entire operation with an infectious enthusiasm, common among the volunteers, who all share in the pride at the success of their work.

Change is imminent and inevitable, when people believe in their efforts, without the promise of any returns - but a healthy ecological habitat.

Not all is doomed. The Union Government reports that Delhi's tree cover is improving, likely due to extensive planting programs by various agencies and communities.

Volunteer Ankit Sharma explains, “At barren sites with rubbish or plastic in the soil, it may seem impossible to grow anything. But we follow the process - clear and nurture the soil and maintain the plants as we would care for our children.”

Abhishek Pandey does not mind sparing his weekends to bring tankers to water various sites. He calls for public participation for maximum results, saying, “A lot of our kitchen and other waste can be reduced, reused, or recycled. If it's segregated at the source, the situation won’t get to this dangerous level.”

Standing equal with the planet

India's indigenous woodlands are vanishing rapidly as economically lucrative tree plantations replace native forests. The ecological integrity crucial for climate resilience stands compromised.

Shweta Kanchan’s perspective is appealing in an increasingly climate-change-affected world. “If we want our children to have clean air to breathe, and any sense of what our soil can grow, there is no better time than now to start working towards a better environment - not just for the planet, but for ourselves!”

An urban native plantation could include a wide variety of plant life, including trees for fruit, flower, and shade. At every site they have worked on, trees grow close, listening to each other’s rustle and forming bonds through roots; to a cluster forest, suitable for small life forms necessary for an ecosystem to survive.

“We grew up in homes with courtyards, there were native trees all around us, not ornamental. Before we reach a time when biodiversity is damaged irreversibly, we need to make changes now,” Mohit reiterates the imperative.

The method of plantation is best described as an ‘adapted-Miyawaki’ forest, with one tree per square meter.

The original method involves determining the plant species native to a given area, improving the soil quality, and planting native trees and understory plants in a dense, mixed manner (about three seedlings per square meter), meant to simulate a natural forest.

Ankit explains the approach. “We replaced the soil layers, treated it with organic compost and fertilizer like cow dung to make it healthy again, and we worked as a team to make sure that the saplings survived, watering it every week till they grew on their own.”

Marching on to a green future

At the United Nations, a convention has been called for ‘UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030’ - to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean, to acknowledge initiatives like these.

Once full of rubbish, now there are many such sites the group has developed, where birds and bees are back. Turning garbage patches into green isles, these people inspire confidence, as urban forests emerge as a beacon of hope against the impending surge in global population.

The clarion call for climate action echoes across all fronts. Entities and people from all walks must unite in a collective effort to implement practical and impactful solutions, fitting in a sustainable future amidst concrete jungles.