Ghaziabad city is likely to get most of the proposed 16 Miyawaki plantation sites by the year-end, including those planned in industrial areas, said officials of the corporation, adding that these 16 sites will have about 48,926 trees.
Named after Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, this method involves planting two to four different types of indigenous trees within every square meter. The methodology was developed in the 1970s, with the basic objective to densify green cover within a small parcel of land.
The figures of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation indicate that the 16 sites will cover an area of 154,735 square meters and they will be set up in Harsha industrial area, Sahibabad industrial area, Rajendra Nagar industrial area, South-side GT Road industrial area, Loha Mandi and Indirapuram/Kanawani, among others.
“We expect a majority of the 16 sites to be ready by the end of the year. The new plantations under the Miyawaki technique will help us develop mini forests across the city and this will help abate air pollution,” said Vikramaditya Malik, municipal commissioner.
The officials said of the total plantation target, the agency has already taken up the planting of 343,461 trees.
One of the 16 sites also includes Sai Upvan near GT Road which is designated as a city forest under Master Plan 2021. In 2008, the site witnessed destruction of hundreds of trees from an overflowing city drain.
The municipal body has proposed the development of a biodiversity park on 63 acres of Sai Upvan city forest. Under the Miyawaki plantation, 8,040 trees will be planted here on a different plot.
“The city forest cannot be developed into a park and should be restored to its original form with dense tree coverage. The corporation instead of developing new plantation sites should consider maintaining existing parks and green belts. The Ghaziabad district is also set to lose thousands of old trees adjacent to the Upper Ganga Canal (UGC) for a road project. Such actions are not environment friendly and the city is already reeling under high pollution,” said Rajendra Tyagi, former municipal councilor from Raj Nagar, who has a petition pending at the Allahabad high court in connection with the city forest.
Under the 111km UGC road project, about 112,722 trees/plants/shrubs are proposed to be felled in the three forest divisions of Ghaziabad, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar.
Recently, the Ghaziabad city was ranked 22 in a list of 47 cities, having population over 10 lakh, in the 2024 “Swachh Vayu Survekshan (Clean Air Survey)” initiative by teh Union environment ministry.
The city was placed 12th in the 2023 edition of the Clean Air Survey. The initiative ranks cities on the basis of implementation of activities approved under the city action plan and on the basis of air quality.
