Delhi is one of the most historic capitals in the world finding its mention in the ancient epic Mahabharata. Two natural features of the city – the Ridge and river Yamuna, has made it a protected and favourite place for the rulers over ages. The Ridge is recorded to be 2.4 billion years old – older than the Himalayas and the Ganges.
By 14th century, the Ridge forest was covered with thorny scrubs with very little green cover. Emporer Feroze Tughlaq afforested the rocky southern part of the Ridge on which Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq built the fort city of Tughlakabad.
The massive afforestation of the Ridge forest was started by the British in the 19th century. The British map of 1807 shows Ridge extending from north to south continuously unless the present day scattered Ridge forests. When Delhi became the capital city of British India, the Northern Ridge was declared as a Reserve Forest. Before independence, the Central Ridge also obtained a similar status.
Due to rapid urbanisation, pressure on the land increased and during 1920-30, a major portion of the Ridge near Delhi University was blasted to provide access to the residential colonies and business premises and the new colony of Karol Bagh. After Independence in 1947, which also brought about Partition, the stress on the natural resources of the city increased manifold. The refugees were given land in the Central and Southern part of the Ridge. With the in-migration increasing with time, the area of the forest started diminishing. Meanwhile, in 1980, the Northern and Southern Ridge were again declared as Reserved Forests.