Govt clears reserved forest status for Northern Ridge
Delhi’s Northern Ridge, long described as the city’s green lungs, will receive formal legal protection. The Rekha Gupta Government approved the Phase-I notification to declare 112.328 hectares, or 277.56 acres, of the area as reserved forest under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
The Northern Ridge is part of the Aravalli Mountain range and serves as an important green and ecological zone for Delhi. The Chief Minister said the area is an invaluable part of Delhi’s natural heritage, and that protecting it is crucial for the city’s environmental health and for future generations.
The Chief Minister said the move reflects the Government’s commitment to protecting Delhi’s green areas and making the capital healthier, greener and more resilient to environmental challenges, giving legal backing to long-term conservation of what she called Delhi’s ecological hub.
Comparing the pace of forest protection across Governments, the Chief Minister said only 96.16 hectares, or 237.611 acres, had been notified as reserved forest under previous Governments in Delhi. Under the current Government, 5,267.009 hectares, or 13,014.77 acres, have been notified so far.
With the Northern Ridge notification added, the total reserved forest area in Delhi will rise to 5,363.169 hectares, or approximately 13,252.390 acres, a scale of protection residents of the capital have not seen in previous years.
This latest step builds on a notification approved last month covering around 1,000 acres, or 400 hectares, of additional land in the Southern Ridge as reserved forest, part of a wider drive to protect Delhi’s Ridge areas and natural green heritage.
The Chief Minister said tackling pollution cannot be limited to addressing its immediate effects, and strengthening the city’s natural ecology is equally important for residents’ long-term wellbeing. She said protecting areas like the Northern Ridge, expanding green cover and maintaining ecological balance would give Delhi greater resilience against air pollution and climate-related challenges that directly affect citizens’ daily lives, from air quality to groundwater availability.
She said Delhi has planted more than 73 lakh saplings this year, with the plantation drive still ongoing. Citizens have also been encouraged to plant trees around their homes through the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign and the “Vriksh Rath” initiative, extending the conservation effort beyond Government land into residential neighbourhoods.
Work is also underway to construct check dams and support natural regeneration in Ridge areas to improve groundwater recharge, a measure with direct implications for the city’s water supply in the coming years. School and college students have been engaged as “Eco-Warriors” to raise awareness about climate and biodiversity among younger residents.
The Chief Minister said the process of protecting the Northern Ridge will continue, with the next phase focused on demarcation of the area, habitat management and community participation, steps intended to strengthen conservation of the Ridge and reinforce its role as the city’s green lungs and ecological hub.
She said protecting Delhi’s greenery and natural heritage remains a sustained Government priority, describing green areas and natural resources as the foundation of the Capital’s sustainable future, with further steps planned to protect them in the years ahead and shape the environmental conditions future generations of Delhi residents will inherit.
