Haryana’s green cover worse than Punjab: FSI

Haryana has pipped Punjab in taking the dubious distinction of the lowest forest cover in the country with only 3.59% green cover, according to the State of the Forest Report (FSI) 2017. According to the FSI report, Haryana overtook Punjab, which has 3.65% forest cover. Though both states’ ratios are abysmally low when compared to the national target of 33%, experts believe Haryana might fare worse in future FSI reports as it is yet to take protective measures for both the Aravalis and Shivaliks under its jurisdiction. Punjab, however, has started taking some immediate steps to secure the Shivaliks around Chandigarh.

Recently, forests in about 16 villages in Shivaliks were left vulnerable after a Punjab government notification dated February 3, 2003 expired on February 2, 2018. The notification, which categorised these villages as “forests”, ensured protection from land use change under sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA). Punjab, however, re-notified the forest cover on the same day of the notification expiry, putting 21,944 acres under the protective blanket of the PLPA.

Haryana, on the other hand, has failed to re-notify 20,851 acres out of 25,037 acres forest cover, which expired in the last 10 years. This has left the Aravalis in Haryana vulnerable to land use change for real estate and other projects.

Shivaliks and Aravalis in both Punjab and Haryana have similar challenges where large swathes of forest land has already been “illegally” privatized, but Punjab’s move to re-notify these lands gives them protection from major land-use change. Punjab has managed to add about 66 sqkm of forests compared to the FSI report 2015 which is mainly attributed to an increase in tree cover outside of recorded forests as per FSI. But Haryana didn’t even manage that, and recorded an increase of only 8 sqkm in forest cover. Haryana has, however, lost 1 sqkm in the Shivaliks in Panchkula, it has also lost forest cover in central Haryana. The policies of both states in securing and increasing forest cover will be crucial in tackling air pollution in NCR and conserving groundwater resources here.

By: Dr. Vivek Rana