Taking respite from New Delhi air in Swechha’s Airshed Park project

Taking reprieve from New Delhi in Swechha’s Airshed Park project

Standing among sub tropical and desert plants, watching bees feed on cactus flowers and butterflies dancing their rituals, i'm truly amazed how life can flourish so poignantly amongst the smog and bustle of a capital city.

me and the designer discussing park ecology in the 'dessert garden'

Just 3 months into their new Airshed Development project; Swechha have transformed a neglected rubbish heap of a park into a real community resource; where kids explore and adults sit among Delhi’s native flora.  

As I stepped into the park for the first time my immediate reaction was one of relief; being able to take deep breaths of fresh clean air; filtered by the myriad of lush green plant life the tiny park possesses. If you have been to Delhi in winter at the crop burning time of year you will know how rare it is to enjoy fresh air outside of closed walls.

Airshed Park

Delhi hosts an impressive array of parks, and is already a very green city, such is the respect Indians have for the humble tree. But its many dilapidated green spaces add to the mire of a highly polluted environment which takes the population ill with coughs and respiratory infections. This set of unfavourable conditions are not rare in the mega cities of the southern hemisphere. It seems we haven’t learnt much since the year of the ‘big smoke’’ , where 12,000 people died as a result. In 2018 WHO reported that 7 million people worldwide die annually from exposure to fine particles in polluted air.

'green' Dehli view from a central train station

A typical neglected park in New Delhi

Swechha wants to create an airshed of green spaces that will protect the roughly 30 million people that live and work here. That alone is worth supporting the project. Further more, these disused green spaces have multiple uses, not least a safe and usable areas for Delhi's destitute poor. Swechha is embedded into the community, its work force are relatable and passionate about the vibrance of Dehli and the social green movement flushing across India's middle class.

At main the first small park will provide residents:

• a clean and natural outside area
• a decent walking/jogging circuit
• nature views and wildlife walk
• butterfly garden and small woodland
• medicinal plants for free use
• fruit trees and a vegetable patch for local community use
• children's play area and a small sport pitch
• a group meeting area
• a tree and shrub nursery with access to water

The last bit of cleaning in the Airshed Park (~ 40 truck loads were loaded out by hand)

This project is in its infancy and so far struggling to sustain itself. As with most small grassroots social / environmental organisations money is very sparse. Government or private help is minimal and hard to garner. So The Airshed  Development Project will have to put in place a commercial element to first support this park and hopefully extend this model by garnering attention and partnership along the way.

A small team of dedicated employees, interns and volunteers are charged with making this project sustainable. Green the map Is Swechha's attempt to use Dehli's rubbish to fund environmental improvements across the city, with its Remakery and ethical spin at selling you green.
Hopefully, with your support (and only with the support of the wider community) this vision will become a reality.

Airshed Park kids play area and resident friendly dogs

Photos: Shyam Mohan

Writing: Lazer Woolf