‘Tree care is not a luxury, but an urgent necessity’

In 2013, the National Green Tribunal, in an order issued a clear directive: no concrete construction be permitted within one metre of a tree’s trunk, and that existing concretisation around trees be removed forthwith.

Last week, yet another heartbreaking and entirely preventable tragedy struck Delhi when a man and his daughter were crushed by a falling tree in Kalkaji, an incident that lays bare the ongoing systemic failure to protect both urban trees and the people who live among them. This wasn’t a tragic accident caused by nature; it was the outcome of a system that has turned its back on both people and the environment. Trees don’t fall overnight. They fall because we choke them, ignore their distress, and refuse to treat their health as a civic responsibility.

A massive tree fell on busy road amid heavy rains at Kalkaji on August 14. Two people were injured and rescued by local police.

Over a decade ago, in 2013, the National Green Tribunal, in an order issued a clear directive: no concrete construction be permitted within one metre of a tree’s trunk, and that existing concretisation around trees be removed forthwith. This order has been violated across Delhi with impunity.

A walk through any Delhi neighbourhood — Vasant Vihar, Defence Colony, CR Park, Janakpuri, or NCR cities — exhibits the same pattern. Tree roots are encased in concrete, choking under tiles, and withering without moisture or air. An audit by citizens in Vasant Vihar revealed that over 80% of street trees are still concretised. The forest department recorded 31 violations affecting over 600 trees in just that area over the past three years. Yet, despite citizen complaints, court orders, and even contempt notices, enforcement is practically non-existent. Why is it that when a tree collapses—killing citizens due to official negligence, violating court orders, choking roots with concrete, or unscientific pruning — no FIR is filed, no officer is held liable, and no one is made to answer for the loss of life?

We are in the middle of a climate emergency. Trees cool our cities, absorb carbon, reduce flood risk, and sustain biodiversity. A recent study showed that shaded parks in Delhi are up to 20 degrees cooler than surrounding concrete areas. Yet, we are actively reducing the resilience of our cities by neglecting tree health. We pour crores into plantation drives, yet spend nothing on maintaining the trees we already have. Our cities desperately need trained arborists, routine tree health audits, mobile tree care units, and strict enforcement of de-concretisation norms. These are not luxuries; they are urgent necessities.

Citizens have done their part. From filing PILs to mapping trees and documenting violations, the public has raised the alarm for years. But unless authorities face legal and financial consequences for their failure, nothing will change. Accountability must go beyond lip service. Officers who ignore NGT orders and allow illegal concretisation must be prosecuted for contempt and negligence. Every tree that falls due to such a violation is not just an environmental loss; it is a civic crime. So is it fair to call it a “tragedy”? Not really, more like “violation” that must not be brushed aside as just another unfortunate incident. It should be the last straw. We cannot allow this cycle of neglect, silence, and death to continue. Trees are living beings. They are part of our community, our climate, and our collective future. The question is no longer whether we care about trees. The question is whether we care enough to hold those in power accountable for failing to protect them, and us.

(Bhavreen Kandhari is an advocate for environmental rights. The views expressed are personal)