Green cover equal to 23% of Delhi lost in 13 years

NEW DELHI: Green cover and water bodies almost equal to a quarter (23%) of Delhi’s area have been lost to development works and rapid urbanization in the National Capital Region in just the past 13 years.


The first comparative satellite-based study of change in land use in NCR has shown that between 1999 and 2012, the region lost 32,769 hectares of green areas and 1,464 hectares of water bodies, both crucial for sustainability and quality of life in the region.

During the same period, the study found that built-up area in NCR grew by a massive 34%, bringing 95,803 hectares of land into the construction zone.

The study was conducted by the National Remote Sensing Centre at the instance of the NCR Planning Board (NCRPB). It’s most striking finding was the substantial loss of green cover across Delhi and regions of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Of the total loss of 32,769 hectares of green cover, the maximum loss was recorded in NCR areas of UP (17,386 hectares), followed by Haryana at 8,716 hectares. ‘Green’ Delhi too lost 733 hectares of forest/green land during this period, according to the draft regional plan prepared by the NCRPB.

The other alarming indicator was unsustainable growth in NCR was the loss of water bodies. These reduced by 1,464 hectares. Again, the maximum loss took place in UP sub-region at 934 hectares. Commendably, the Haryana sub-region bucked the trend by increasing the area under water bodies by 261 hectares.

The NRSC report also shows that environmentally fragile areas such as the Yamuna riverbed, wetlands, ridge areas and forests were being steadily usurped for development activities.

The UP and Haryana sub-regions, which include Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad, showed a massive increase in built-up area during the study period. According to the report, the maximum increase took place in the UP sub-region, where built-up area jumped from 83,214 hectares in 1999 to 1.24 lakh hectares in 2012. NCR areas of Haryana, which have the highest concentration of land under built-up area at 35.46%, were a close second. The built-up area there grew from 93,996 hectares to 1.32 lakh hectares.

The Rajasthan sub-region was the only area under NCR which actually registered an increase in the area under agriculture use by 23,966 hectares. In contrast, Haryana saw the highest conversion of agriculture land (17,539 hectares) for non-agricultural use.

The report says that the increase in built up area mainly came from conversion of agriculture land, green areas, water bodies and waste land. It says in the absence of proper legislation to control land use in the agricultural (rural) zone, the conversion of these areas for use by industries and educational institutions has continued unabated.

The draft regional plan asks states to follow stricter norms to protect and increase green cover. The plan proposes that expressways be lined with 100-metre wide green buffer zones on each side. It recommends a 60-metre green belt for national highways and 30 metres for state highways and railway lines.