Want govt to build 1,600 km green wall along Aravalli, says activist

Baghel said, “At a preliminary level, the government has shown a positive response by making the wall until Panipat, which comes up to 1,400 km, but we want this to cover the Aravalli range as well as the Shivalik range to completely contain desertification. Moreover, multiple ministries are needed to be involved to achieve this. The green corridor will act as a barrier against dust coming in from deserts in western part of the continent. We estimate that 135 crore trees will be part of this green wall which will be 5 km wide and may take up to 10 years to be created. The Great Green Wall of the Sahara was commenced in Africa involving multiple countries and though only partial work could be completed, the model’s results have shown success.”

“While crop burning contributes only eight per cent to pollution, diwali crackers contribute five per cent. The government has also put a ban on crackers. But what bout the remaining 87 per cent? Industrial pollution makes up 51 per cent of pollution and vehicular traffic makes up 27 per cent… why aren’t these being talked about?” Baghel added.