India eyes river basin plantation to meet climate goal
NEW DELHI: India intends to grow plantations over 4,68,222 sq km, an area larger than the entire state of Rajasthan, by 2027 in 13 major river basins to meet its international commitment to sequester carbon emissions, according to an overview report released last week.
These plantations will include riverfront development programmes, afforestation, and agroforestry schemes, according to a report on the overview of detailed project reports for rejuvenation of major rivers through forestry interventions prepared by the environment ministry.
The proposed plantings are expected to sequester 50.21 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 10 years and 74.76 million tonnes by 20 years. The report also estimates that the project reports of the 13 river basins will likely increase the country’s cumulative forest cover by 80.85 sq km to 1,813.52 sq km. “One of the goals these large-scale plantations can help achieve is our climate commitment under the Paris Agreement,” said Prem Kumar Jha, inspector general of forests at the environment ministry. “There are of course other co-benefits like improving biodiversity, forest cover and flow in the rivers.”
Under the Paris climate pact, India wants to sequester 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030. Carbon sinks of around 1.95 billion tonnes have already been created, an official at the ministry said, requesting anonymity. The country also aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 to halt the loss of biodiversity. The 13 project reports for Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Luni, Narmada, Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and Cauvery were released by environment minister Bhupender Yadav on March 14. The government is yet to prepare similar plans for the Ganga and Brahmaputra basins.
The Centre has allocated ₹19,342.62 crore to restore natural, agricultural and urban landscapes. The treatments are proposed to be spread over a period of five years.
An important feature of the schemes includes ensuring environmental flow in rivers that is required for terrestrial, freshwater and estuarine ecosystems to perform their natural ecological functions. The Centre had notified the minimum environmental flows for the Ganga in October 2018, but environmental flows for other rivers have neither been defined nor notified.
The planned plantations could infringe on existing habitation, rights of local people and ownership of land, experts have warned.
“The proposal is designed to monetise riverfront land for creating carbon sinks and tourism, both of which can infringe existing habitation, ownership and uses which will need administrative reconciliation,” said Kanchi Kohli, legal researcher at the Centre for Policy Research, a think tank.