Recently the Supreme Court in India while taking strong exception to the Telangana government felling trees in the Kancha Gachibowli forest of Hyderabad in India said the state government had only two options -  restore the green cover or be ready for some of its senior most officers being sent to jail for violation of court order. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and A G Masih said "For the protection of environment and ecology, we will go out of the way if needed." 

The Supreme Court’s stern warning to the state is welcome in the intelligentsia, student circle, and among the residents. The lakes, tree lair, forests and hills are facing extinction due to mindless human activities, it has degraded the quality of life in the southern city. 

The Urban Heat Stress Tracker-Hyderabad report, published by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), highlights the growing intensity of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon in Hyderabad and other urban areas in Telangana. The Socio-Economic Outlook 2025, tabled in the state assembly, explained that UHI occurs when urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures than nearby rural regions. This is caused by factors such as human activities, concentrated infrastructure, reduced green cover, heat-absorbing urban materials, limited surface water, poor airflow, increased energy consumption, and pollution. 

Depleting tree cover

More than 67% of Hyderabad’s population are migrants who contribute immensely to the growth of the realty, IT, pharma, industries, and services sectors. The population of Hyderabad has increased from 5.6 million in 2000 AD to 11.3 million in 2025; it is growing at an average of 2.43% per annum. It creates demand for housing, goods, and services. As the concrete area of the city has grown over 388 sq km, it has devoured green hills, forests, agriculture fields, etc,. The city lost 1.61 sq km of forest cover between 2001 and 2023; many of those trees were more than 50 years old; those trees sustained the lives of thousands of species and enhanced the quality of life. 

The Hyderabad Annual Tree Survey 2024, conducted by WWF-India Hyderabad found that the native trees provide a significantly higher ecological value than the introduced non native species. The survey recorded a total of 753 unique trees across Hyderabad supporting bio-diversity and sheltering 3215 faunal species. The survey emphasized the urgent need for indigenous plants in urban planning. 

Businesses at risk

Hyderabad will be lifeless without its tree cover. The city needs its green cover, oxygen, and natural look to sustain economic activities. According to the World Economic Forum's recent Nature Risk Rising Report, more than half of the world’s GDP ($44 trillion) is highly or moderately dependent on nature. The report says many businesses are, therefore, at risk due to increasing nature loss. The loss of native trees and nature may put Hyderabad at risk of losing investment and employment. 

“Humanity has fabricated the illusion that somehow we can get by without biodiversity,” says Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The ancient Indian scriptures explain the immense importance of trees in human life. According to the Srimad Bhagavat Purana,  trees fulfill the desires of human beings by their leaves, flowers, shade, root, bark, wood, fragrance, gum, ash, charcoal, buds, and new leaves. The Bhabisya Purana says by planting one peepul (ficus religiosa), one neem  (azadiracht indica), one bargad (ficus bengalensis), ten imli (tamarindus indica), three kaith (limonia acidissima), three vilva (aegle marmalos), three aonla (Indian gooseberry- phyllanthus embilica), and five mango (mangifera indica), one can never go to hell. The rulers of today should not forget their own tradition and culture. 

(The writer is a sustainable microeconomic activities analyst. Views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at sudhansuranjandas2007@gmail.com)