The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has planted over 6.62 lakh saplings — including more than 37,000 trees and over 6.25 lakh shrubs — within days of launching its Mega Plantation Drive, achieving nearly 30 per cent of its seasonal target of 23 lakh plants, an official said on Sunday, 19 July. The drive is being conducted under the direction of Delhi Lieutenant Governor T.S. Sandhu, who also serves as Chairperson of the DDA.

Scale and Scope of the Drive

The plantation campaign, which commenced in the first week of July 2026 and is scheduled to run through mid-September 2026, is being carried out across 675 DDA parks, the four Ridge areas — South Central Ridge, Nanakpura Ridge, Central Ridge, and Northern Ridge — as well as six biodiversity parks and identified green corridors across the capital.

The drive prioritises native and climate-resilient species, a deliberate shift aimed at ensuring long-term ecological viability rather than mere numerical targets.

What the Government Said

Lieutenant Governor T.S. Sandhu has directed departments to ensure constant monitoring so that planted saplings survive beyond the planting phase — a concern that has historically undermined such drives. According to an official statement, Sandhu has emphasised ecological restoration, environmental sustainability, and the expansion of Delhi's green infrastructure as core objectives.

The DDA's stated goals extend beyond tree count: the drive aims to strengthen carbon sequestration, improve microclimatic regulation, enhance ecological connectivity, boost air quality, support groundwater recharge, and create urban wildlife habitat.

Linked to Mission 70 Lakh and 'Ek Ped Maa ke Naam'

The DDA's 23 lakh plantation target forms part of a larger initiative. On 7 July, Union Home Minister Amit Shah formally launched the Mission 70 lakh plantation drive under the 'Ek Ped Maa ke Naam' campaign, of which the DDA's drive is a component. The campaign seeks to transform urban greening into a mass civic movement.

Notably, this is not a standalone government effort. The DDA has partnered with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), educational institutions, religious organisations, volunteer groups, and corporate bodies to encourage public participation and build a sense of shared ownership over Delhi's green assets.

Why It Matters for Delhi

Delhi consistently ranks among the world's most polluted capitals, with air quality deteriorating sharply each winter. Urban greening initiatives, when sustained, are recognised as one of the longer-term structural interventions for improving ambient air quality and urban heat island effects. This drive, if it meets its 23 lakh target by mid-September, would represent one of the largest single-season plantation efforts in the city's recent history.

The critical question, as officials themselves acknowledge, is survival rate — a metric that past Delhi plantation drives have struggled to demonstrate credibly. With monitoring now explicitly mandated by the L-G, authorities will be expected to report on sapling survival, not just saplings planted.