TIME TO GET ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY

To celebrate World Environment Day various groups in the city are coming together to urge people to safeguard nature

It’s World Environment Day today and what better way to celebrate than by planting a sapling! Organised by Swechha India, an NGO, the drive begins at 9 am in Gurgaon. Having earlier planted a mini forest in Dwarka, Gurgaon and Faridabad, Vimlendu Jha, founder, Swechha, says, “We run a campaign called Monsoon Wooding every year where we plant 5000 trees in different parts of Delhi. It is Swechha’s annual plantation campaign, which was started in 2005. In the last few years, we have planted over 20,000 trees and quite a few urban mini-forests, regenerative food forests etc. in various areas sprawling all over Delhi-NCR. We are launching this year’s plantation drive this Sunday, June 5, by planting approximately 1500 trees in Gurgaon, mostly native and fruit species, by raising money through crowdfunding.”

Speaking on the idea behind it, Jha says, “We’ve added hectares of concrete in Delhi-NCR. It’s high time we add some greenery too. We are in an emergency situation in terms of the quality of air and the green cover. Delhi-NCR has lost several hectares of forest cover in the last ten years and has become one of the most polluted cities in the world now. As citizens, we can do our bit by planting trees. We need volunteers to assist us in the plantation program along with other tasks such as documentation, photography and land preparation.”

Aditya Pant, a volunteer, says, “We’ve chosen to plant a fruit forest. The drive is open for everyone to contribute to the environment.” Where: 278/16, Civil line road, Officers Colony, Civil Lines, Gurgaon Timings: 9am

PHOTO: IMAGESBAZAAR