New Delhi's Green Revival - Enerel

 In the past couple of years, New Delhi has initiated a revolutionary endeavour of rejuvenating and reviving its cityscape. The city once criticized for its pollution and traffic is now undergoing transformation as it constructs large parks and biodiversity zones. These initiatives improve the city’s image while promoting public health and environmental sustainability. 

 Delhi has a scheme for environmental revival, and the Amrut Biodiversity Park is one of them, which was inaugurated in March 2025. The park is situated over an area of 90 hectares covering Yamuna floodplains, and it is the third major project of the DDA in this area following the Asita East and Vasudev Ghat projects. The park consists of six water bodies with an aggregate storage capacity of 225 million litres of water, along with about 14,500 trees, 18,000 shrubs, and almost 321,000 riverine grasses. Walkways and lawns are part of the landscape together with proposals for a cafeteria and sculptures, meant for the development of tourism there. Landscape architecture in the park is strategically designed to control stormwater, reduce flood risk, and raise the water table through natural filtration. 

 Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena opened Vaishnavi Park in Ashok Vihar-II in August 2024. The park, which spans more than ten acres, has turned a once-desolate and littered area into a bustling green area. The park now has 460 trees and 12,000 shrubs, including bahunia, jacaranda neriifolia, and niligulmohar species, following an investment of about Rs 5.5 crore. The Navgrah Vatika, which combines traditional Indian knowledge with contemporary landscaping methods, is one of the site's main attractions. It is composed of plants connected to the nine celestial bodies. In addition, the park has interactive areas for guests of all ages, as well as water features, abstract sculptures, and audio installations, making it a centre of community activity. 

 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) announced the development of a Nature Interaction Centre in a 30-acre area in Shahdara's Jheel Park. The facility will be divided into three zones: a seven-acre lake area, 10 acres for flora, and 13 acres for community facilities. The centre will educate visitors on various types of plants through attractions like a Miyawaki forest, bamboo arboretum, fragrance garden, and sacred grove plantation. Public facilities will feature a yoga meditation pavilion, bird-watching decks, and city forest walks, further developing the notion of "forest bathing" and fostering more intense interaction with nature. 

 The DDA opened the Aanandita green patch, a one-kilometre landscaped stretch of Ring Road, near Vijay Ghat and Shanti Van, in September 2024. Artefacts, rock sculptures, fountains, and tricolour illumination are included in the project, which gives a visual boost to the locality. The project includes the rejuvenation of four parks: Dilli Chalo, Ghata Masjid, Urdu Academy, and Sadbhavana Park, spanning 35 acres. They are transforming these green areas into a mix of planned gardens, local parks, and Mughal architecture design-inspired gardens, thereby creating recreational opportunities such as those on Kartavya Path near India Gate. 

 The DDA inaugurated a green tent cafe within the premises of Asita Biodiversity Park along the Yamuna floodplains. The temporary structure can accommodate 60 to 70 people and is made entirely from sustainable materials, allowing for easy dismantling during floods. The cafe functions on a pre-prepared food and beverage basis, giving its patrons an exceptional natural ambiance for dining. The park is a treat for nature-lovers with more than 200,000 seasonal flowers and more than 70 species of resident and migratory birds. 

 According to the plan, the park was to facilitate public entry by March 2022, but that has been postponed until August 2025. In a "Mini India," the park will have 36 replica monuments representing all the states, which include, the Sun Temple of Odisha, the Charminar of Telangana, and the Hawa Mahal of Rajasthan. The layout of the park consists of ten zones resembling lotus petals meant for hosting cultural and adventure sports activities, eco-forests, lakes, and meditation gardens. The facilities in the parks incorporate green elements such as rainwater harvesting and solar power generation, with the objective of net-zero discharge. In January 2025, the renovated parks along the ramparts of the old Walled City in Daryaganj were officially opened as Kranti Udyan. The project comprises four individual parks, Delhi Chalo Park, Ghata Masjid Park, Urdu Academy Park, and Sadbhavana Park, spread over a total area of 35 acres along the Ring Road. Kranti Udyan has been designed specifically to offer recreational amenities in a green setting, with formal gardens, neighbourhood parks, and Mughal-type landscapes to blend with the present historical monuments. Facilities are there like seating pavilions, lawn terraces, children's playgrounds, and also open-air gym areas, which can be used by all types of people. Intended to be used by the public, a hallmark of New Delhi's aspiration to make such parks and biodiversity zones translates into sustainable urbanity. While converting these degraded and underutilized lands into living green spaces, the city improves upon its ecological profile while also enhancing the quality of life of its citizens. Such developments are a classic exemplar of urban development presenting the reckoning for the perfect symbiotic co-existence between nature and development even in an urban setting. 

Works Cited 

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