The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to undertake a unique initiative to plant Miyawaki plantation on land parcels along national highways at various locations. Total land area of over 53 acres has been identified at different places in and around Delhi-NCR to establish the Miyawaki plantations, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said in a statement on Tuesday.
Some of the sites proposed for development of Miyawaki plantations along the national highways include 4.7 acres of land area along Haryana section of Dwarka Expressway, 4.1 acres near Sohna on Delhi-Vadodara section of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, around 5 acres each at Chabri and Kharkhara interchanges on NH 152D of Ambala-Kotputli corridor in Haryana, over 12 acres at Shamli bypass on NH-709B, 9.2 acres at Duhai interchange on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway near Ghaziabad and 5.6 acres near Meerut-Najibabad section of NH-34 in Uttar Pradesh.
Ground preparation has already started at the selected sites and plantation shall be taken up during upcoming monsoon season scheduled to be completed by end of Aug 2024, the ministry said.
Miyawaki plantations, also known as Miyawaki method is a unique Japanese approach to ecological restoration and afforestation development. This method aims to create dense, native, and biodiverse forests in a short period of time. These forests retain ground water and helps to recharge the ground water table. With this method, trees grow ten times faster and the plantations act as a sound and dust barrier. For successful implementation of the Miyawaki plantation method, focus will be on plantation of indigenous species of plants that can survive in the local climate and soil conditions, it said.
Development of Miyawaki forests will contribute towards the creation of a resilient ecosystem, offering a range of benefits to both the environment and local community. It will also have multiple long-term benefits, which include improvement in micro-climatic conditions such as improvement in air and soil quality.
It will also help in biodiversity conservation, rapid growth of green cover, efficient carbon absorption, soil restoration and in habitat creation for local flora and fauna. Basis the success of Miyawaki plantation in Delhi/NCR, the similar pattern will be replicated across the country.Using the Miyawaki method, increase in green cover will not only help to enhance the overall health and well-being of citizens living along the National Highways, but will also add to the aesthetics and pleasure of commuting on the national highways in NCR, it added.