Delhi Ridge

Coordinates: 28°36′58″N 77°10′08″E / 28.616°N 77.169°E / 28.616; 77.169
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Forest area of Delhi Ridge

Delhi Ridge, sometimes simply called The Ridge, is a

Bhatti mines, branching out in places and tapering off in the north near Wazirabad on the west bank of the river Yamuna,[4] covering about 35 kilometres.[5]

The Ridge acts as the "green lungs" for the city, and protects Delhi from the hot winds of the deserts of Rajasthan to the west. It has also enabled Delhi to be the world's second most bird-rich capital city, after Kenya's Nairobi.[6]

Though modest in height, the ridge acts as a

Indo-Gangetic plain
.

History

It is believed that the Aravallis are one of the oldest mountain ranges in India

Archaeozoic times. Range extends from Gujarat through Rajasthan to Haryana-Delhi. In Delhi the spurs of the Aravallis are commonly called as the Delhi Ridge which is divided into the Northern, Central, South Central and Southern Ridge.[7]

In 1993, parts of

south Delhi covering 7,777 hectares was declared a reserve forest. Thereafter in 1994 and 1996, a major part of the ridge was notified by the Government, thus stopping all construction.[8][9]

Over the years, pressures of urban development, have seen forests of Delhi ridge under threat. In many areas, landscaped public parks, and public housing have come up, plus the area also faces dumping of construction waste.[10]

Geographical segments

The Ridge today, for administrative reasons, is divided into 4 separate zones,[11] namely:

  1. The Old Delhi or Northern Ridge denotes the hilly area near Delhi University and is by far the smallest segment of the Ridge. Northern Ridge location is 28°40′52″N 77°12′57″E. Nearly 170 hectares were declared a Reserved Forest in 1915. Less than 87 hectares remain today near
    Northern ridge biodiversity park by the Delhi Development Authority
    .
  2. The New Delhi or Central Ridge was made into a Reserved Forest in 1914 and stretches from just south of Sadar Bazaar to Dhaula Kuan. It extends over 864 hectares, but some bits have been nibbled away.
  3. The Mehrauli or South-Central Ridge is centred on "Sanjay Vana", near
    JNU and Vasant Kunj, and encompasses 633 hectares. Large chunks have been encroached and built upon. 70 hectares approximately near Sainik Farm are being developed as the Tilpath Valley Biodiversity Park
    .
  4. The
    Tughlaqabad or Southern Ridge sprawls across 6200 hectares and includes the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. This is the least urban of the 4 segments of the Ridge, but a lot of it is village-owned or privately owned farmland. This includes Bandhwari and Mangar Bani
    forests.

Northern ridge

Also known as the Kamala Nehru Ridge it covers an area of 87 hectares and is located near the north campus of

Historical monuments

Flagstaff Tower

The North Ridge contains several monuments that date from the pre-Mughal to the British period. [12][13][14]

  1. Mutiny Memorial
  2. Ashokan Pillar
  3. Pir Ghaib (inside Hindu Rao Hospital)
  4. Baoli (
    Step well) inside Hindu Rao Hospital
  5. Chauburja Masjid
  6. Flagstaff Tower
  7. Eastern Guard House

Central ridge

Central ridge includes 864 hectares which were made into a Reserved Forest in 1914 and stretches from just south of Sadar Bazaar to Dhaula Kuan.

Buddha Jayanti Park

Buddha statue in the Buddha Jayanti Park

The

Gautama Buddha's enlightenment by Indian architect M. M. Rana.[15] A sapling of the Bodhi Tree from Sri Lanka was planted here by the then Prime Minister of India Shri. Lal Bahadur Shastri
on 25 October 1964.

On an artificial island in the park stands pavilion with a gilded

Buddha Jayanti
festival is celebrated here.

Neeraj Gupta, an Indian sculpture artist and environmentalist is the president of Buddha Jayanti Park. In August 2023, Gupta planted 1000 Cassia fistula (Amaltas) trees.[16][17][18]

South-Central Ridge

South-Central Ridge is encompasses 633 hectares. Large chunks have been encroached and built upon.

Aravalli Biodiversity Park

Aravalli Biodiversity Park, Gurgaon
Northern Palm Squirrel
in 'Aravalli Biodiversity Park', Delhi

DU
, under the joint Biodiversity Parks Programme, maintain the area. Every year a substantial amount of money is spent in restoration, development and maintenance.

The land under Aravalli Biodiversity Park was once a site for mining. Martha Shinde (

Scindias
) had a mining lease for the 2.3 km2 (0.89 sq mi) area. They plundered out whatever they could. For years Shinde exploited forest resources including minerals, mica, sand, stone, rocks and water. Land, which once was covered with a dense forest, soon turned into pits and hillocks.

Scientists from the Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE) of

Acacia nilotica) and kair (Capparis decidua). A rangeland with native grasses has been developed and a systematic planting program is carried out and every year native trees and bushes are planted to remove unwanted weeds, i.e. Prosopis juliflora
. A conservatory of butterflies, orchidarium and fernery has been developed.

The Aravali Biodiversity Park, Gurgaon, on Gurgaon-Delhi border, developed by the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon, was inaugurated on 5 June 2010, World Environment Day.[7]

Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park

Neela Hauz biodiversity park, next to Sanjay Van in South Central Ridge, was restored in 2015-16. In 2014, of the 611 water bodies in Delhi, 274 were dead and remaining were in bad shape. Neela hauz is a freshwater lake which was slowly dying due to the dumping of waste.[19] During ancient times it used to be the main source of water supply for the Rajput city of Qila Rai Pithora.[19] During ancient times, its basin was recharged by the wider dense forests of Sanjay Van and its overflow drained in to Yamuna.[19]

In 2014, the wetland was covered with

Britisher colonisers to rehabilitate the wasteland.[20][21][19] The silted up lake was encroached upon and raw sewage drained into it, causing concerned citizens to take an order from Delhi High Court to have it restored by the government.[19] After the restoration started in 2015, this biodiversity park was officially inaugurated in November 2016.[19]

Sanjay Van

Sanjay Van is located near

Jawaharlal Nehru University and Vasant Kunj
.

Southern Ridge

Southern Ridge sprawls across 6200 hectares and includes the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandhwari and Mangar Bani forests. This is the least urban of the 4 segments of the Ridge, but a lot of it is village-owned or privately owned farmland.

Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary is a 32.71 km2 biodiversity area in the South Ridge on Delhi-Haryana border lies south of Delhi. It is an important habitat for the Indian leopard. Endangered species in the sanctuary include red-headed vulture and egyptian vulture, and the Government of Haryana has a vulture conservation program in place. Near-threatened species include painted stork, white-faced ibis and european roller. Rare birds include black francolin and grey-headed fish eagle. Plant species include butea monosperma (dhak or flame of forest), anogeissus (dhok), Wrightia tinctoria (inderjao), Indian elm, neolamarckia cadamba (kadamba), prosopis cineraria (jaand), tinospora cordifolia (giloi), etc.[22]

Mangar Bani forest

Mangar Bani, neolithic archaeological site and sacred grove hill forest on Delhi-Haryana border, is in the South Delhi Ridge of Aravalli mountain range in Faridabad tehsil of Faridabad district in the Indian state of Haryana.[23][24][25]

It lies within the

migratory birds as there are several dozen lakes formed in the abandoned open pit mines
in and around the area.

Spread over 5000 ha, this is the largest pre-historic site and stone age tool making factory in the Indian subcontinent, first ever site discovered in the Aravalli range with cave paintings. The stone tools and rock art dating back to 100,000 years BP and cave paintings date back to 20,000-40,000 BP. This is also the oldest human habitation discovered in Haryana and Delhi NCR.[28]

Tilpath Valley Biodiversity Park

Being developed since 2015, it was officially inaugurated as Delhi's third biodiversity park on 3 February 2018.[20][21]

See also

References

Citations
  1. , ... The Ridge and its neighbouring hilly tracts represent the natural flora. The major natural forests in Delhi are generally restricted to the Ridge. The natural flora is a tropical, thorny and secondary forest.
  2. ^ Geological Survey of India (1872), Records of the Geological Survey of India, Volumes 5-7, Government of India, 1872, ... These ridges are prolongations of the Aravali mountain system, and are approximately on the line of the Indo-gangetic watershed ...
  3. , ... Delhi lies on the vast flatlands of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, though the northernmost pimples of the Aravallis amount to the Ridge, which lies west of the city centre ...
  4. ^ "Delhi Ridge". Parks and Gardens in Delhi. IndFY.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  5. ^ "Geology Details". rainwaterharvesting.com. Centre for Science and Environment. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  6. ISSN 0971-751X
    . Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Aravali Bio-Diversity Park Curtain Raising On World Environment Day 5 June 2010 Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon.
  8. ^ Darpan Singh (4 September 2013). "Govt assures to demarcate Delhi ridge boundaries by mid-October". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  9. ^ Darpan Singh (3 September 2013). "Forest dept prepares plan to save the Delhi ridge". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  10. ^ Shivani Singh (9 September 2013). "Land rush spoils Delhi's enviable green records". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  11. .
  12. ^ a b Datta, Rangan (2 August 2022). "A walking tour of Delhi's Northern Ridge". The Telegraph. My Kolkata. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Flagstaff Tower, Old Delhi". victorianweb.org. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  14. ^ "Flagstaff Tower - Northern Ridge, Delhi". Indian Express, Expresstravel. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  15. ^ "Buddha Jayanti Park". Government of NCT of Delhi - Delhi Tourism. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  16. ^ "Thousand Amaltas Trees Planted in Buddha Jayanti Park". LatestLY. 10 August 2023.
  17. ^ Bajaj, Aarti. "Neeraj Gupta, president of Buddha Jayanti Park, organized a tree plantation program". Bru Times News.
  18. ^ "Sculpting thoughts: Neeraj Gupta's public art". Tribune India.
  19. ^ a b c d e f M Jaggi, June 2017, NOPR: Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park – From Barren to Beautiful, SR Vol.54(06).
  20. ^ a b c Two years on, Tilpath Valley Biodiversity Park breathes again, Times of India, 23 Feb 2018.
  21. ^ a b c Delhi gets its third biodiversity park in Tilpat Valley, Hindustan Times, 3 Feb 2018.
  22. ^ Haryana Government moots buffer zone to save Asola sanctuary, Times of India, 30 Jan 2019.
  23. ^ Mendiratta, Navneet (30 July 2017). "Here's why Mangar Bani can be your ideal weekend getaway". India Today. India: India Today. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  24. ^ "Saving Mangar Bani: Why returning grove to original custodians may be only solution - Times of India". The Times of India. India. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  25. ^ "Haryana's Mangar Bani forest demarcated at last". hindustantimes.com/. India: Hindustan Times. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  26. ^ Asola Bhatti Wild Life Sanctuary Archived 16 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Department of Forest, Delhi Government
  27. ^ पाली गांव की पहाड़ियों पर डैम बनाकर रोका जाएगा झरनों का पानी
  28. ^ Stone Age tools, cave paintings discovered in Haryana could be clues to ‘prehistoric factory’, The Print, 2 July Sep 2017.
Bibliography
External links

28°36′58″N 77°10′08″E / 28.616°N 77.169°E / 28.616; 77.169