Articles by Apoorva Singh

It’s not easy to imagine a lush green forest amidst the dense concrete settlements of Gautam Buddha Nagar in Noida, But Uday Upvan in the urban village of Sorkha in Noida is just that. A green lung space for citizens struggling to breathe in the chronically polluted national capital region. Created by Swami Prem Parivartan, also known as Peepal Baba, this sprawling urban forest boasts over 70,000 trees of diverse species. Its serene beauty lures people to organise picnics here on holidays, or just cherish quiet moments amidst nature. Swami Prem Parivartan, the 57-year-old founder of the Give Me Trees…

The river Yamuna enters Delhi from a village called Palla and travels for about 48 km. There is a part of the river, approximately 22 km long, between Wazirabad and Okhla, which is severely polluted, but for the remaining 26 km of its course, the river is still fairly clean. The surroundings serve as a habitat for a large number of trees, flowers, farms, birds, and people who have been living here for as long as they can remember. They are the urban farmers of Delhi-NCR, and they provide grains and vegetables for people living in the city. Although farming…

In April 2023, even as picturesque images of a rain-soaked Delhi circulated on social media, farmers in the region were in fact living through one of their worst nightmares. The Indian Meteorological Department recorded 20.1 mm of rain in the national capital, marking a 23% increase from the monthly average of 16.3 mm. Things got worse during the months of July and August, as the Yamuna River overflowed, devastating numerous fields. Weather events such as these are just one among the plethora of challenges faced by urban farmers in Delhi.  Ask Abhishek Dhama, a resident of Palla village in Delhi.…