On the occasion of World Environment Day Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung visited the Garhi Mandu Forest and planted a Jamun tree sapling near waterbody as part of the plantation drive and urged others present to plant trees to reduce the level of air pollution and improve aesthetics.
The Chief Secretary and other officials of the Delhi Government who followed suit and planted tress as well accompanied him. Around 100 children with teachers from nearby Eco-clubs of 6 (six) schools and their teachers also participated in the tree plantation activity.
A total of 250 saplings of different species were planted in Garhi Mandu including fruit-bearing trees, which may attract large number of birds, which are visiting every year as passage migrants like Greylag Goose, Northern Pintail, Ruddy Shelduck, Rosy starling, Golden Oriole, and it is expected that over 5 lakh trees will be planted in the year to come.
The Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung also interacted with children present at the Garhi Mandu forest and spoke to them about the importance of forest cover, especially in cities. He urged those present to carry out massive drives of planting trees in the city on the "World Environment Day", especially in the wake of the recent storm where many trees were uprooted.
He urged the citizens to promote plantation drives in their own neighbourhoods and said, "Our environment is precious and we must all contribute towards conserving our environment. We owe it to our future generations and must do what we can to contribute to a greener tomorrow"
Garhi Mandu city forest is the only big chunk of forest area of 800 acres in the O-zone of river Yamuna. This is the major carbon sink zone enriching the environmental value of East Delhi, North-East Delhi and North-West Delhi.
The "World Environment Day" is celebrated on 5th June every year throughout the world. The objective of the day is to sensitize public on various environment issues, its protection and conservation.
