Work to remove vilayati kikar to start at Central Ridge

Last year, the Delhi Cabinet approved a project to restore the biodiversity of 423 hectares of the Central Ridge. But the project had not taken off since members of the committee were at odds over how the vilayati kikar is to be removed.

Vilayati kikar, or Prosopis julifloara, is the only form of vegetation visibly thriving on the Delhi Ridge. (Express Photo/Tashi Tobgyal)

Work is set to begin on 10 hectares of land in the Central Ridge to remove vilayati kikar, an invasive species, and restore the natural biodiversity of the region in a pilot project, according to Environment Minister Gopal Rai.

“In the initial phase of this experimental project, work will begin on 10 hectares of land. The department has set a target to plant local species of plants by eradicating the vilayati kikar (Prosopis juliflora) growing in Delhi. The exercise of removing the invasive tree species will be done by the canopy lifting method,” Rai said after a visit to the Central Ridge on Wednesday. The canopy lifting method means the branches of the tree are pruned.

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Last year, the Delhi Cabinet approved a project to restore the biodiversity of 423 hectares of the Central Ridge. The government had then constituted a six-member advisory committee for the project. But the project had not taken off since the members of the committee were at odds over how the vilayati kikar, a hardy tree that suppresses the growth of natural vegetation, is to be removed. With the Ridge being a reserve forest, the kikar trees cannot be uprooted entirely.

“Under this project, the Central Ridge area would be freed from the vilayati kikar first by the cut root-stock method as it has been observed that the expansion of exotic species is increasing aggressively. To suppress this expansion, the work of planting local species has also been started from today onwards,” Rai added, according to a communication from the Environment Minister’s office.

The pilot project will include the construction of check dams and natural water bodies, according to Rai. A “butterfly and bird safari” are also on the anvil.

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