As environmentalists wage war against authorities for cutting down hundreds of trees in Mumbai, reports suggest that the government is planning a massive afforestation drive in northwest India. As per The Times of India report, the centre is planning an ambitious 1400 km long and 5 km wide green belt from Gujarat to Delhi.
The wall, similar to the Great Green Wall of Africa, is likely to boost India’s action against climate change. The Great Green Wall of the Sahara and Sahel is led by the African Union to combat the impacts of climate change and desertification. The African green wall is 7,600 km long and 15 km wide. As of now, around 15% of the wall is complete with millions of trees planted in Senegal, Nigeria and Ethiopia.
The report states that even though the idea is yet to take shape, it has already created great enthusiasm among government officials from multiple ministries. If approved, the wall can help combat the growing challenge of land degradation across the Thar desert and the Aravalis.
Moreover, the green wall planned from Porbandar to Panipat can also act as a dust-barrier for many polluted regions in the north. Dust storms are a common concern for north India due to the desert in western India and Pakistan. In May 2018, more than 125 people died in 48 hours due to a massive dust storm in northern states.
Speaking to The Times of India, a government official said that the idea of growing a green belt was on the agenda for United Nations conference on desertification recently held in Delhi. Sources also say that the green belt may have some breaks in between but would roughly cover the entire stretch of degraded land in the Aravalis range. Having farmers and other private landholders on board would be the most crucial part of the afforestation program.
In Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi, over 50% of the land area is degraded and prone to desertification. Overall, over 30% of the land is estimated to be degraded in India. Coupled with extreme weather events, degrading lands have affected millions of livelihoods as well as the biodiversity as a whole. Excessive deforestation is said to be a significant driver of degradation in India. India aims to restore 13 Mha of land by 2020 and an additional 8 Mha by 2030.
