Haryana Green Manifesto 2024

Recently, environmentalists in Haryana released the ‘Green Manifesto 2024’ to focus on ecological issues.

About Green Manifesto 2024

• Introduction: In a first of its kind initiative, environmentalists and ecologists of Haryana have joined hands with several civil society members to create a 'Green Manifesto'.
• Issues covered: It raises various important issues like air pollution, waste management, depleting groundwater level and the need to protect the Aravallis.
• Objective: Through this manifesto, environmentalists have requested to include their demands in the manifestos of various political parties for the upcoming assembly elections.

Key demands in the Green Manifesto

• Critical Ecological Zones: To protect the essential ecological services provided by the Aravallis and Shivalik Hills in Haryana, the Aravallis, including the Bhud areas and the Shivaliks, should be legally designated as ‘Critical Ecological Zones’.
• Tree Act: It demands a stringent ‘Tree Act’ for Haryana on the lines of the Delhi Tree Protection Act, 1994, providing legal protection to all open natural ecosystems in the state like the Blackbuck habitat in Fatehabad and an action plan to reach the target of 10% native forest and tree cover in four years.
• Sewage Treatment Plants: All polluted ponds and other water bodies in Haryana should be cleaned and sewage treatment plants should be built in rural and urban Haryana.
• Community Reserves: Baniyas (local forests) in every village should be revived with the participation of local communities and legally designated as ‘Community Reserves’.
• Tree Pension: Monetary incentives in the form of ‘tree pension’ should be provided to farmers to encourage them to grow native trees in their fields.
• Promotion of traditional trees: Efforts should be made to bring back the endangered species of traditional trees of Haryana such as Lesoda, Khejri and Aravalli species such as Indrok and Jal.