On World Environment Day, Lt. Governor of Delhi, VK Saxena visited the Yamuna Biodiversity Park developed by the DDA along with students of Delhi University.

He was accompanied by the Chief Secretary, VC, DDA, Prof. C.R. Babu, a pioneer in ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems and a noted environmentalist, Dr. Faiyaz A Khudsar, Scientist in charge of the park and other senior officers.

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The Lt. Governor visited the medicinal garden, herbal park, butterfly park and the wet lands and water bodies developed in the park.

During the visit, LG emphasized that the time has come to take the Yamuna Bio Diversity Park, as indeed the other parks being developed in Delhi to the next level by innovating, upscaling and reinventing.

This he said, will not only increase the oxygenating capacity of the park but will also add to its financial viability, making it sustainable in the long run.

The LG also emphasized upon the need to explore the possibility of using the water conserved and recharged by the parks for augmenting the supply to the city with the aim of making Delhi self sufficient.

Talking about importance of trees, he said a tree that suffers all kinds of violence from mankind and nature, and yet continues to provide fruits, food, shade, wood and life supporting oxygen, he urged the young minds to learn from the tree and resolve to respect it.

“This will be the best tribute to the environment, of which a tree was the strongest symbol,” said LG.

He underlined that environmental degradation and resultant catastrophic affects are no more topics of academic discourse and seminar discussions- they are there for all of us to see.

“Climate change, water shortage, chocking pollution, unseemly mounds of garbage, plummeting ground water levels, all of them are there for us to experience firsthand as residents of Delhi,” he added.

The LG also emphasized that the biggest challenge on the environmental front today is the sustainable and long term management and disposal of solid waste and sewerage. “At the same time we have to take urgent steps to reclaim and rebuild what we have already lost in our mindless pursuit of lopsided consumption and development,” he said.

To plan for the future and simultaneously rejuvenate what we have lost already was imperative and for this all of us will have to come together and work in a committed and concerted manner, the LG said.

He described ground water recharge through conservation of rain, flood and storm drain water with an aim to make Delhi self- sufficient for its water requirements, as his priority and stressed upon rejuvenation of Yamuna by ensuring zero untreated sewerage discharge into the river in a time bound manner.