Ahmedabad has set an ambitious target of planting 50 lakh trees during 2026-27 under the newly launched Mission Five Million Trees campaign, as the city intensifies efforts to expand urban green cover, improve air quality, and counter rising heat stress driven by rapid urbanisation. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel formally launched the campaign on World Environment Day, 5 June, at a large-scale plantation event in Chandkheda.

Key Launches on World Environment Day

At the launch event, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel flagged off a Mobile Real-Time Source Apportionment Laboratory, developed under the Smart Sensing and Digital Intelligence Project, and inaugurated a Miyawaki-based Clong-On Forest Development Project. The mobile laboratory is designed to scientifically identify and map the principal contributors to air pollution across the city in real time, enabling authorities to formulate targeted interventions.

The Miyawaki-based project, meanwhile, aims to create dense urban forests as part of broader environmental conservation measures — a method known for producing fast-growing, biodiversity-rich green patches in constrained urban spaces.

The Urban Heat Island Problem

The initiative, led by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), directly addresses the city's worsening urban heat island effect, which officials say has intensified alongside population growth and expanding built-up areas. According to AMC, higher temperatures are now retained for longer periods, with heat conditions persisting for several hours even after peak daytime temperatures subside — a pattern that increases health risks for residents and raises energy demand.

A Decade of Rising Plantation Numbers

AMC's plantation record shows a consistent upward trajectory. Municipal data indicates 11,66,387 trees were planted in 2019-20, followed by 10,13,856 in 2020-21 and 12,82,014 in 2021-22. The figure more than doubled to 20,75,431 in 2022-23 and remained at 20,05,795 in 2023-24, before climbing to 30,13,151 in 2024-25. In 2025-26, approximately 41,16,715 trees were planted — setting the stage for the 50 lakh target now formalised for the current year.

The plantation drive will cover major roads, road dividers, public spaces, gardens, and other available open land across the city. AMC's Air Quality Department has identified pollution hotspot areas where focused plantation drives will be undertaken to improve the city's Air Quality Index (AQI).

Public Participation and Private Partnerships

To sustain long-term green cover expansion, AMC has signed memorandums of understanding with organisations participating through Public-Private Partnerships as well as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Environmental Responsibility (CER) initiatives. Public engagement will be channelled through 'Green Volunteer' and 'Memorial Park' programmes, both integrated into the AMC Seva mobile application.

A separate 'Green Societies' campaign will encourage residential housing societies to adopt greening measures. Residents wishing to plant trees at their homes or within their societies can register via the AMC Seva app or by scanning a designated QR code, after which AMC teams will carry out plantation free of cost.

Officials Present at the Launch

Among those present were Energy Minister Rushikesh Patel, Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot, Deputy Mayor Anju Shah, Standing Committee Chairman Kamlesh Patel, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani, elected representatives, AMC officials, and local residents. With plantation numbers having grown nearly fourfold over six years, the city's ability to sustain and verify the 50 lakh target will be closely watched by urban planners and environmental advocates alike.