Delhi University inaugurates India's first carbon garden, VC warns Delhi could become 'pollution capital'

Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh on Thursday inaugurated India's first carbon garden and warned that the national capital could become the "pollution capital" if adequate steps were not taken to address environmental challenges. Established by the university's Department of Botany on the lawn in front of the department, the carbon garden features various plant species that play a significant role in the environment, officials added.

Addressing the gathering, Singh said the physical size of the garden may be small but the idea behind it is "immense", and called for similar carbon gardens to be established across departments and colleges of the university. He said air pollution claims the lives of more than seven million people globally every year, while around 1.7 million people die annually in India due to pollution.

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"Delhi is the national capital and is facing a growing pollution crisis. If appropriate steps are not taken, it risks becoming the pollution capital," Singh said. The vice-chancellor said environmental problems arising from human activities cannot be addressed through technology alone and stressed the need for sustainable solutions. He also cautioned against blindly adopting building designs from western countries without considering India's environmental conditions. Singh said the construction of multi-storey glass buildings could increase energy requirements in India, where sunlight is available for nearly 300 days a year, as such structures require greater electricity consumption for cooling. He said environmental conditions and local requirements should be taken into account while preparing development plans.

Dinabandhu Sahoo, head of the Department of Botany and founder of the carbon garden, said the initiative was aimed at addressing rising air and soil pollution while promoting biodiversity in an urban setting. Spread over around 2,000 square feet, the garden houses 50 species of plants, including herbs, shrubs and trees, and serves as a mini-biodiversity park, according to the university.