Dwarka is a well planned city with a good portion as open spaces. But, the development that Dwarka has seen has primarily been in terms of concrete, the same as rest of city. In western Delhi, bereft of needed ecological balance, Dwarka presents a huge opportunity to restore it. Residents of Dwarka have taken it up to intervene suitably and bring ecological restoration to Dwarka. Our campaign for revival of water bodies brought people face to face with the reality of water crisis and loss of opportunities. Our discussions with scientists , water experts and activists revealed that, the existence of Nature Reserve, in terms of a bio diversity park or a woodland would help boost the air and water quality of not just Dwarka but also the rest of West Delhi close by.
With this background, residents of Dwarka decided to visit Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Vasant Vihar spread over 700 acres. The purpose was to acquaint ourself with the feel of a biodiversity park and learn various benefits that accrue from it. The residents, including ladies, youth and school students, visited the Aravalli Biodiversity Park today, 20thSept, at 9:15 AM to 12 noon.
It was enlightening to see the different species of plants and trees and learn how they form part of food chain, sustaining each other. The amazing ambience that we got here is what we get in Sariska. We were guided by Prof. Vikram Soni, concerned scientist and environmentalist, and a local resident of Vasant Vihar. From the Govt. side, Dr. Shah Hussain, Research scientist, and Incharge Biodiversity Park, and Dr. Asha guided us.
Dr Soni showed us the pits he has been observing over last 20 years and introduced to us the principle of ‘ plantation without plantation.’ It was enlightening to see how various native species grow and survive by themselves in the quarries. He gave a talk on, how the residents struggled over last 15 years to save this area from various invasive projects such as the “International Hotels Complex” which included construction of 13 five star hotels here. He explained how a Nature reserve is a provider, whereas, a park is a consumer. From interaction with both the scientists, and seeing the results on ground, the visitors concluded that it is much beneficial for the residents of Dwarka to have as much land as possible as Biodiversity/ Nature Reserve- so as to have a secured water regime, ambient air and optimum utilization of the local natural resources. At the same time, it would help restore and preserve the local wildlife, plant life and bird life. The response of the visit has been overwhelming and another visit by more residents of Dwarka has been planned for next week.
Organizing team:
Diwan Singh, Natural Heritage First
Shobhit Chauhan, Ek Sangarsh
Capt SS Mann, Sukh Dukh ke Saathi
Rakesh Kumar, Tarun Godara, Luv Kush