In recent years the people of Chandigarh may have noticed a change in greenery as the city has now more forest cover which makes it more delightful for the citizens.
The Forest Survey of India Report stated that the tree cover of Chandigarh increased from 46 per cent to 51 per cent in 2021 which is more as compared to 41 per cent to 46 per cent in 2019. The open forest area has also seen a major increase by 158 hectares which means that more non-forest area has been driven under the green cover of the city. The total span of Chandigarh is 114 sq. Km.
The green cover of UT has increased in 2021 which is 29 sq. km as we talk about the 2019 report which stated a figure of 25 sq. Km. The forest cover increased by 4 square km in span of two years. The percentage of tree cover in Chandigarh is 13.16%.
The Department of Forest and Wildlife, Chandigarh initiates plantation of new saplings every year by distributing them to each and every single house in the city. The departmental vehicle ensures that the young trees are given to everyone. The department is focusing on planting indigenous trees in place of dead exotic trees.
The department is playing a crucial role in conservation of trees and in result has shown a substantial growth while the horticulture department and municipal corporation are co-operatively working for the Green Chandigarh Action Plan (GCPA). The annual target for plantation is set for all the three departments.
According to the 2019 data of Forest and Wildlife Department, the target number of saplings was 2,50,000 and the achieved target number was 2,56,311. In the year 2020-2021 the target was 2,55,000 and the achieved target number was 2,83,435. And in 2021-2022 the target was 2,80,000 and the achieved target number was 2,91,848. All of the data given above is combined data of all the three departments.
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