MCD to develop 30-acre Nature Interaction Centre in Jheel Park in east Delhi

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to develop a 30-acre Nature Interaction Centre — largest of its kind facility in the Trans Yamuna area — in the Jheel Park in Shahdara, east Delhi where visitors will be able to learn about various types of plants and interact with themed green installations, senior civic officials said.
Also Read: Toxic foam blankets Yamuna River ahead of Chhath Puja, raises pollution alarms in Delhi NCR
A senior MCD official said that a plan has been made to develop the space around the water body as a nature interaction centre under which sections featuring the Miyawaki forest, bamboo arboretum, fragrance garden, sacred grove plantation, medicinal trees and galleries of state trees, among other features.
Also Read: Delhi’s air quality continues to deteriorate, AQI above 400
“We will redevelop the space around the lake as an interactive blue-green infrastructure where visitors will be able to interact and learn about various forms of vegetations,” the official said, adding that the corporation will not bear any expenses for the project which will be executed with the help of an NGO under CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiative.
Also Read: Delhiwale: This way to Mahila Haat
According to the plan, the 30-acre space will be divided in three distinct zones — a seven acre lake area, 10 acres for development of various vegetation features, and 13 acres for public amenities. “The lake was restored under Amrut mission and inaugurated in February 2022, but the project is not complete as the landscaping and development of surrounding area needs to be carried out for which we are seeking help from NGOs that are helping with Miyawaki forest plantations,” the official said.
A Miyawaki forest is land where thousands of native tree species are grown closely together. Pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, these forests are very dense and can be ready in two to three years. MCD has developed such Miyawaki forests in Mayur Vihar, Dwarka, and Bhalswa. A second MCD official said that the Miyawaki forest patch in the Nature Interaction Centre will be limited to an area so that more public utilities can be added. “The dense forest offers fewer options for adding play zones or similar features,” the official said.
The vegetation section of the theme park will have a sacred grove plantation (Devrai), herb garden, state tree gallery featuring state trees from across the country, xerophytic garden featuring plants that grow in desert-like conditions and a bamboo arboretum showcasing various types of bamboos that grow in the country. “We will also have a gallery on rare and endangered plant species and Aravalli plants and a native grass plantation to feature various forms of grasses that grow in this ecology,” the official added.
The third section comprising public amenities will have a yoga meditation hall, bird watching points and urban forest walks to popularise the concept of “forest bath.” “The NGO has also proposed to improve the aquatic ecology of the lake by introducing aquatic plants and fishes,” the official said.