New Delhi: From institutional campuses to parks, Delhiites will be able to take part in plantation drives close to home this July.As part of this year’s Van Mahotsav celebrations from July 5 to 7, the forest department will launch a website providing ward-wise details of plantation venues and timings, according to environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.Delhi has set a target of planting 70 lakh saplings this year and, of these, around 15 lakh will be planted in the city’s reserved forests. “We will celebrate Van Mahotsav on a large scale and will invite residents to actively participate in the plantation drive. The forest department is likely to launch a new portal by June 22 through which people can register to plant a tree. It will be part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign,” said Sirsa.He added that meetings have been held with land-owning agencies, including the forest department, DDA, MCD, NDMC, the irrigation and flood control department and the education department and several venues have been identified. Officials said groundwork, including the digging of pits for saplings, is already in progress.According to the India State of Forest Report 2023, released in Dec 2024, Delhi’s green cover stands at 371.3 sq km. The report stated that 25% of Delhi’s total geographical area of 1,483 sq km was under green cover in 2023. The city’s tree cover was 176 sq km in 2023. Around 11.8% of Delhi’s geographical area is under tree cover.A tender has been floated to procure 13 vehicles, one for each of Delhi’s 13 districts. “Horticulture staff will be deployed in each vehicle to assist people who want to plant saplings across all 13 districts. The vehicles will pass through different localities and encourage people to plant saplings at their homes or in neighbourhood parks,” officials said.