Hyderabad's Trees Vanish: City Unaware of Vital Green Count

Hyderabad is facing a critical challenge in its efforts toward climate resilience, as the city lacks a basic tree census. This oversight prevents effective planning amidst rising temperatures, worsening air quality, and depleting groundwater. This summer, Hyderabad experienced temperatures 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the previous year. Meteorologists attribute this warming trend not solely to El Niño but to the significant replacement of green spaces with concrete infrastructure, reducing the city's natural cooling capabilities.

Environmentalists stress the urgent need for a scientific tree inventory, documenting species, age, health, and location. Technology like geo-tagging can facilitate this process, involving NGOs and civil society. Experts also advocate for planting the right trees in the right places, prioritizing biodiverse, native species over exotic ornamental ones which offer fewer ecological benefits and can become invasive.

Compensatory afforestation efforts lack transparency, with success often measured by sapling numbers rather than long-term survival. A shift is needed towards accountability for post-care, maintenance, and independent audits to ensure meaningful climate interventions. Protecting and planting suitable native trees is presented as a practical and effective climate adaptation strategy for Hyderabad.