Hyderabad: Every year, trees are affected by rain and strong winds during monsoon seasonal or non-seasonal events, creating obstacles, destroying electrical wires and destructive properties. The initial blame was strong winds or rain, but the real reason was planting non-local trees and narrow spaces on the sidewalks that did not allow root expansion.
One of the common trees that fall is Copperpod (Peltophorum pterocarpum), known for its bright yellow flowers, rapid growth and dense coverage. According to GHMC, the trees were widely planted 20 years ago to rapidly increase greening.
“Copperpods grow rapidly, staying semi-green and flowering twice a year, making them an attractive choice for urban planners looking for fast results,” said Botanist and nature educator Kobita Dass Kolli.
“The roots of beans are shallow, weak roots, and difficult to fix in the rocky soil of Hyderabad, especially when bound by concrete pavements and roads, cities want quick results. Trees are long-term investments. We need to be like a long-term investment. We need to stop dealing with it like decorations and infrastructure like infrastructure,” she said.
The road layer has become closer, with little to no source of space. “We are building concrete sidewalks with ceramic tiles and narrow spaces to keep trees growing without open soil,” Kolli said, limiting root growth. When a tree with a full canopy faces strong winds, it can be too high and fall.
Unlike native trees that shed leaves to save water, Copperpods keep leaves all year round. “They retain leaves throughout the year, making them more vulnerable in premonsoon storms,” Copperpods are native to Southeast Asia and are not really suitable for the dry and rocky terrain of Hyderabad.
Coley notes that Rain Tree (Samman Saman) faces similar problems. “These trees require a lot of water and open space to spread. In the early days, trees were planted in open areas. Now, there are more buildings and less space, and many trees are trapped in small spots.”
Koli noted that local banyan trees once listed the Gandipet region. “There are only a few of them left now, many people are lost by the wide roads and buildings. The trees that anchor themselves for decades are slowly disappearing,” she said.
Coley said that if chosen correctly, there are still local trees that can survive.
“Terminalia bellirica (tani), Lagerstroemia parviflora (Kenangi) and Cassia fistula (Laburnum or Rayla in India). These trees are hard in hard roots, they require less water, and have evolved and have survived in local climates. But they no longer choose the season’s efforts and require extra effort, and at left sapcone of counters””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Older gardens received falls and grew slowly, Coley said. “Now, the focus is on smooth buildings and clean sidewalks. So the choice of trees reflects that.”
When people welcome green mulch, the fall of trees can cause trouble in the form of breaking power lines and blocking traffic. “It has become a routine. Every time there is heavy rain, a big tree falls down and blocks the road. Sometimes it can damage the vehicle,” said Nagaraj N., a resident of Secunderabad.
“Early, fast-growing trees were planted in bulk, but there wasn’t much thought. But now, there’s some awareness coming. There’s more to choose trees during plantations,” said WWF-India Governor Farida Tampal.
As figs, fruit-containing trees like Jamun and Peepal disappear, the birds that rely on them are disappearing. “The shift to fast-growing ornamental trees that do not provide food or shelter not only weakens the cover of trees, but also introduces birds that make the city home,” said birdwatcher Sriram Reddy.
He said earlier, yellow green green pigeons that were common are now hard to spot in city parks. “Once, you can spot them Jubilee Hill and Banjara Hills. Now they are almost gone, and it’s even hard to find them in KBR Park.”
Venkateshwar Rao, director of Hyderabad’s Urban Biodiversity Wing, said the company did not conduct safety inspections on each tree. “If there is a complaint about a tree like a branch, our staff will visit the site and conduct inspections. Checking regularly, but based on work requests only, is usually for a park or development site.”
Regarding how GHMC chooses a tree species, he said: “We look at three things: suitability for the area, usability for slimness and planting goals.
“Usually, the best time to plant is October or November, but by that time the rainy season is over, so we are forced to plant it in June, July or early August.”
He said the trees have been planted several years ago now. “The trees that fell now are not recently planted. They are old and large trees. Many trees are planted with fast-growing species for rapid results. People and even governments want green plants to appear quickly. If we plant a long-growing tree, it takes 5 to 10 years to grow, then they don’t have the patience to wait.”
Outside the city, GHMC prefers local trees. “On the city limits, we need to shorten the trees due to power lines and infrastructure. A few years later, other departments, such as electricity or telecommunications, will prune or cut down trees. Sometimes they do so without proper coordination or authority,” he said.
He added that even if trees are translocated, survival is difficult. “Translocation – moving trees from one place to another – is a good practice, but care after movement is very critical. Usually, trees look healthy for months, but they die without regular watering or monitoring. We need better contracts, including one to two years of long-term care. Currently, the care that follows is weak after planting or translocation.”
“At present, we have no exact data on how many trees are in Hyderabad. The enumeration of trees has never been fully completed. It’s a difficult task and requires a dedicated team. We can estimate green covers using satellite images, but we don’t know the number or type of trees that have been planted over the years.”
