green cover

Tree walks and nature trails are a great way to connect with natural surroundings. Delhi’s green spaces offer ample opportunity for tree enthusiasts, and the constant monitoring has also led to better chronicling of the flowering cycles of different tree species. Delhi has good green cover compared to many other national capitals, says heritage expert and author Vikramjit Singh Rooprai. Some of the best-preserved green spaces are Sanjay Van, Sundar Nursery, Northern Ridge, Central Ridge, Muradabad Pahari in Vasant Vihar, Aravalli hills, Sultan Ghari Park, Yamuna Biodiversity Park, and Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Pradip Krishen, author of Trees of Delhi: A Field…

This article is part of our special series Environmental Sustainability & Climate Change in Tier II cities supported by Climate Trends. Chandigarh: The Beautiful City, located in the foothills of Shivalik range, was originally a cluster of 58 villages. When the site was chosen to build a modern capital for the then state of Punjab in 1948, it resulted in relocation of 21,000 people, mainly farmers cultivating crops such as wheat, corn, and maize. The city lies in the Indo-Gangetic plains, between two seasonal hill torrents – the Sukhna and Patiali rivers. Presumably, back then it was a much cooler…

This article is part of our special series Environmental Sustainability & Climate Change in Tier II cities supported by Climate Trends. In May 2018, 51-year old Shail Bala Sharma, an Assistant Town Planner (ATP) was shot dead at Kasauli –a popular hill station and cantonment in Solan district, known for its quaint colonial buildings and landmarks. She was out to enforce a Supreme Court order to demolish half a dozen illegal constructions in the town, mainly hotels, lodges and guest houses. Hotelier Vijay Singh, whose hotel was slated for demolition, allegedly opened fire on her and the accompanying town and country…

World Environment Day on June 5th this year held a different significance altogether for the city of Kolkata. For the city battered by Cyclone Amphan, one of the worst storms to hit Bengal in over three centuries, the usual observances that mark the day, such as planting of trees, were no longer mere token activities but a critical need, an attempt at reversing the incalculable ecological damage it had suffered just days back.  But will Environment Day pledges and other plantation drives that have since been undertaken in the city prove enough? Are they even advisable as they are being…

In 2010, a 10-yr-old school girl Vipasha Srivastava, wrote a moving letter to the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court complaining about lack of recreational spaces in the state capital, Shimla. The letter triggered instant action. A Bench led by then Chief Justice Kurian Joseph (who later retired as a Supreme Court Judge) sent notices to the state’s Chief Secretary seeking answers to Vipasha’s questions. The bench termed the issues Vipasha mentioned in her letter as very important since it concerned the healthy, all-round growth of children. The Court also ordered Shimla Municipal Corporation to get funds from the…

First mooted in 2002, the Pune Metro is finally ready for launch in 2020. Being built by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the inauguration of Pune metro’s first line from Tukaram Nagar to Phugewadi is scheduled for April. This stretch, part of the Pimpri-Chinchwad to Swargate Line-1 is set to be functional by March 2020, according to union minister Prakash Javadekar. Javadekar also claimed that all three lines of the metro are likely to be functional by 2022. These claims, however, were refuted by the MahaMetro, the special purpose vehicle set up to build and run the Pune metro. “The…

Heritage and history mean little to city authorities responsible for the maintenance of Bhopal’s parks. Like the historic Yadgar-e-Shahjahani Park, which is being used more for holding sit-ins and demonstrations, pushing out those just wanting a pleasant walk in the park. Shahjahani Park, situated close to the Lower Lake, is a heritage site (established in 1890) where once people gathered to take part in the 1942 Quit India Movement. Unchecked illegal dumping of municipal solid waste in Shahjahani Park and its periodic use by groups for organizing protests and sit-ins has led to its present deplorable condition. Last year, the…

One morning, nearly a month after Cyclone Fani struck Odisha, Ashok Baral, a citizen of Bhubaneswar, came upon a fallen trunk of a banyan tree near the Stewart School boundary wall. The tree had been uprooted by the cyclonic storm Fani, which hit the city on May 3, 2019. Recalling that particular moment, Ashok says, “Though it was my regular route home from the milk vendor, it seemed as if the helpless trunk of the tree was trying to tell me something on this particular day. I stayed there, looked at the trunk for some time, and wrote a message…

One among the first 20 cities selected for redevelopment under PM Narendra Modi’s Smart Cities Mission (SCM) launched in 2015, Bhopal faces the loss of a major chunk of its green cover, thanks to the implementation of the smart city project. The number of trees that could literally go under the axe may run into thousands under the Rs 3400 crore development plan in the city, which is still grappling with the consequences of the world’s worst industrial disaster -- a gas leak that killed thousands in 1984. The area chosen for implementing the project, Tatya Tope Nagar (TT Nagar),…