Ahmedabad, June 5 (IANS) Ahmedabad has set a target of planting 50 lakh trees during 2026-27 as part of an expanded effort to increase urban green cover, improve air quality and address rising heat stress linked to rapid urbanisation.

Launching the ‘Mission Five Million Trees’ campaign on World Environment Day, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel flagged off a Mobile Real-Time Source Apportionment Laboratory and inaugurated a Miyawaki-based Clong-On Forest Development Project, alongside a large-scale plantation programme at Chandkheda.

The initiative, led by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), comes as the city seeks to mitigate the “urban heat island effect”, which officials said has intensified with population growth and expanding urban development.

According to AMC, higher temperatures are now retained for longer periods, with heat conditions persisting for several hours even after peak daytime temperatures.

The newly launched Mobile Source Apportionment Laboratory, developed under the Smart Sensing and Digital Intelligence Project, is designed to scientifically identify and map the principal contributors to air pollution across Ahmedabad.

Officials said the facility will allow real-time monitoring and help authorities formulate targeted interventions to improve air quality.

The Miyawaki-based Clong-On Forest Development Project is intended to create dense urban forests and further expand the city’s green cover as part of broader environmental conservation measures.

AMC’s plantation programme has grown steadily in recent years.

Municipal records show that 1,166,387 trees were planted in 2019-20, followed by 1,013,856 in 2020-21 and 1,282,014 in 2021-22. The figure rose to 2,075,431 in 2022-23 and 2,005,795 in 2023-24, before increasing to 3,013,151 in 2024-25.

During 2025-26, approximately 4,116,715 trees were planted across the city. Building on that trend, AMC has now set a target of planting 50 lakh trees this year under Mission Five Million Trees.

The plantation drive will cover major roads, road dividers, public spaces, gardens and other available open land across Ahmedabad.

The municipal corporation said it has identified pollution hotspot areas through its Air Quality Department and plans to undertake focussed plantation drives in those locations with the aim of improving the city’s Air Quality Index and overall urban environment.

To support long-term maintenance and expansion of green cover, AMC has signed memorandums of understanding with organisations participating through Public-Private Partnerships as well as Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Environmental Responsibility initiatives.

The civic body is also seeking greater public participation through programmes including ‘Green Volunteer’ and ‘Memorial Park’, which will be integrated into the AMC Seva mobile application.

A separate campaign to encourage residential societies to become ‘Green Societies’ will also be launched.

Residents wishing to undertake tree plantation at their homes or within housing societies will be able to register through the AMC Seva application or by scanning a designated QR code.

AMC teams will then carry out plantation activities free of cost.

Among those present at the launch were Energy Minister Rushikesh Patel, Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot, Deputy Mayor Anju Shah, Standing Committee Chairman Kamlesh Patel, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani, elected representatives, AMC officials and local residents.

-IANS

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