It's a jungle out there

A former Air Force officer leads a citizens' effort to revive a forest in south Delhi

Once upon a time, there was a vast forest in Delhi. Over the years, urban expansion caused it to shrink. An invasive tree from Mexico planted by the British to check the expansion of the Thar desert unexpectedly and efficiently stifled its original trees. News reports, as recent as 2010, about Sanjay Van, a part of the Southern Mehrauli Ridge, testify to its utter degradation: "Major leaks in pipes that carry the sewage to treatment plants have seen drain water swamp a major portion of the forest," said one. Toxics Link, an environmental NGO, reported in 2010, "There are hundreds of pits made for planting trees but these have only plastic bags and garbage in them." Then, a 72-year-old retired Air Force officer, Air Vice-Marshal Vinod Rawat, joined forces with botanists, conservationists and the Delhi government, and effected a transformation.

Today, Sanjay Van is a vibrant, lush urban forest with neelgai, golden jackals, hyenas, monitors as well as countless snakes, birds and butterflies. The invasive exotic planted originally by the British, Prosopis juliflora, locally called vilayti kikaris, are slowly ceding ground to trees endemic to the Aravalis. With expert assistance from noted ecologists P S Ramakrishnan, K S Rao and Surya Prakash, Rawat, an honorary appointee of Delhi's lieutenant governor, is trying to regenerate the damaged forest. Working in tandem with the horticulture department of Delhi Development Authority, his voluntary organisation, Working With Nature (WWN), has spearheaded the plantation of over one lakh trees endemic to the Aravalis in Sanjay Van.

Rawat drives me in his trusty golf cart to see how well local trees such as hingot (Balanites aegyptiaca), khejdi (Prosopis cineraria) and khair (Acacia catechu) are doing in their battle for survival against the foreign invader. "Kikar destroyed the ecology of the Aravalis," says he. "Its deep roots depleted Delhi's ground water. But these local trees, my loyal soldiers, are gaining ground now!" As we drive around the forest, Rawat points out how the native trees have, in turn, provided a habitat for animals, birds and butterflies. Recently, a striped hyena was spotted here after years. Prakash, who has observed the wildlife of the southern ridge for the last 30 years, reports sighting many birds here, such as Verditer flycatchers, pied crested cuckoos and thousands of sparrows now hardly seen in Delhi.

Later, we visit the five waterbodies that, in 2010, were either swamps of sewage, or dry depressions in the ground. Pointing to some over-ground pipes, he says, "They carry treated sewage from the Vasant Kunj plant to the Hauz Khas reservoir. I prevailed upon the authorities to open the pipelines here, so that the water could be further cleansed by sunlight, oxygenation and bio remediation. In some of the lakes, we've introduced catfish and plants that detoxify the water." Consequently, neelgais come here every evening to drink. The waterbodies have recharged groundwater and consequently, local wells which have been dry since the '70s, now have sweet fresh water. Rajendra Singh, Rajasthan's Magasaysay-award-winning 'Water Man', has advised Rawat and his team on more ways to recharge the ground water. Birdwatchers report a growing population of water birds and waders such as cormorants, spot-billed ducks, green sandpipers and red shanks around these lakes as well. Prakash dreams of developing Sanjay Van into Delhi's only bird sanctuary. "We've documented over 150 species of birds here, many of which are migratory," he says. "This could be a wonderful venue for a bird sanctuary."

WWN has been asked to replicate the Sanjay Van model in Moradabad Pahari and Ladha Sarai forests of Delhi. Meanwhile, Rawat's detractors point out that planting trees is in fact meddling with the original ecology of the region. They also criticise WWN for having turned Sanjay Van into a picnic spot rather than a pristine forest. However, Rawat is undeterred: "I want people to develop a relationship with forests. Our aim is to bring students and adults alike closer to Sanjay Van and educate them about the urgency of conserving forests and wildlife," he says. That is why, at a time when there are gloomy reports about the dwindling forest cover and endangerment of countless species, Rawat's brand of practical urban forestry offers a small beacon of hope. He says, "If you respect local ecology, plant endemic species and clean the environment, animals and birds will return… Sanjay Van bears living testimony to this."

This is a fortnightly column on little-known NGOs. Next up, the story of Karmmarg, which not only provides a safe refuge to children at risk, but also fosters in them, the inimitable Indian spirit of jugaad