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Delhi's government has initiated a project to plant 8,000 bamboo saplings at the Okhla landfill, aiming to transform the site into a green space.
The bamboo, along with lemongrass and vetiver, will help prevent soil erosion and block heavy metals from contaminating groundwater, thereby improving air quality and the local environment.
In early June this year, the Delhi government embarked on an ambitious plan to plant 8,000 bamboo saplings in land reclaimed from the site of one of its three major landfills.
The idea behind the endeavor is to green the land where the landfill stands or used to stand.
Around 8,000 bamboo saplings of two species — Bambusa tulda and Bambusa polymorpha — will be planted at Okhla landfill.
Another 8,000 lemongrass and vetiver saplings will be planted between them.
These plants have been selected as their roots prevent soil erosion during heavy rains, according to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. These plants also block heavy metals from seeping into the groundwater and enhance oxygen levels in the air, improving the local environment.
Since 2019, the authorities have been biomining the three landfills of Delhi—Bhalswa, Okhla and Ghazipur—after the National Green Tribunal directed that legacy dumps be “cleared within one year but substantial progress must be made and demonstrated within six months”.