Ghaziabad has been ranked as the second-most polluted city in the whole world, after the city of Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, according to the 2021 report of World Air Quality, which is an annual air quality report provided by Swiss organization IQ Air and was recently released.
The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) announced on Monday that a clause considering the Miyawaki plantation will be included in the consent-to-operate manifestations for the industrial units in Ghaziabad.
They also stated that the measure was taken by state authorities in an attempt of optimising green space along with carbon emission and air pollution in the district.
Dr. Akira Miyawak, a Japanese plant ecology expert and botanist, has developed the method of Miyawaki plantation. In comparing the Miyawaki method to monoculture plantations, forests that were grown using the Miyawaki method have been shown to have reduced noise and dust, improved carbon absorption, and added more green surface area. Plants are expected to grow 30 times denser and 10 times faster using this method and have an average plantation area of 150 square feet along with 45 saplings.
State authorities have ordered that industrial units should adopt the Miyawaki plantation. They included a new clause in the consent-to-operate forms starting this year. Since the land in the district is scarce, the units should adopt this plantation method and should contribute to promoting this method. Some units, in collaboration with the municipal corporation, have already begun their work stated Utsav Sharma, the regional office of the UPPCB.
In terms of high pollution levels, Ghaziabad has been listed as one of 16 non-attainment cities in Uttar Pradesh. Cities are designated as "non-attainment" if they fail to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) or particulate matter (PM10) above five years.
Furthermore, as per the Forest Survey of India's (FSI) State of Forests 2021 report, there seems to be no increment in forested land in the district as of 2019.
