The Delhi Development Authority’s plantation drive has reached around 90% of its 2026-27 target, with more than 20 lakh trees and shrubs planted across 542 parks, officials said. The programme is being tracked through a geo-tagged dashboard and will undergo an independent assessment focused on plant survival rather than only plantation numbers.
The DDA has set a target of planting more than 23 lakh saplings during the current season, almost twice last year’s target of 12 lakh. Of the plantations completed so far, 1,07,673 are trees and 19,45,633 are shrubs, according to information shared by the authority.
The drive has involved 202 organisations, including 118 Residents’ Welfare Associations, 24 schools, 11 institutes, 18 religious institutions and 31 other organisations. The other participating bodies include paramilitary forces, police units and government departments.
The DDA has engaged an independent third-party agency to assess how many of the plantations survive. Officials said the assessment would provide an objective evaluation of the programme and help identify locations requiring additional maintenance or corrective measures.
The authority is also using the DDA Greens Plantation Monitoring Dashboard to display plantation targets, achievements, parks covered and geo-tagged photographic records. Field officers are required to upload site-specific details and photographs directly from the ground through a dedicated mobile application. Officials said the system allows plantation activity to be monitored in real time and work to be verified at individual locations.
The monitoring framework assigns field-level responsibility for watering, maintenance, protection and ongoing observation. Plant mortality will be recorded through the system, and replacement plantation will be undertaken wherever required, officials said. Details on the programme are available to the general public through the dashboard.
The DDA said the plantation drive focuses on ecological restoration through indigenous tree and shrub species. Its emphasis on survival and sustained growth places the maintenance phase alongside the initial planting exercise, with the third-party audit expected to identify where further intervention is needed. The authority’s next steps are to complete the remaining plantation target, continue digital tracking across the 542 parks and act on findings from survival monitoring.
