Delhi’s fragile urban canopy has once again crumbled under the pressure of a powerful thunderstorm, exposing critical gaps in the city’s tree management and urban planning. Over 200 trees were uprooted or damaged as 80 kmph gusts and nearly 77 mm of rainfall lashed the capital recently—one of the heaviest single-day May showers recorded since 1901.
The incidents left four people dead and caused widespread property damage, particularly across South Delhi’s arterial zones and neighbourhoods like Lutyens’ Delhi, Vasant Kunj and Defence Colony. Peepal, neem, and tamarind trees, some of them decades old, crashed onto roads and vehicles, choking mobility and exposing severe structural vulnerabilities in the capital’s greenery. While extreme weather undeniably played a part, experts and civic officials say the problem goes much deeper. Years of unregulated concretisation around tree trunks, unscientific pruning, termite infestations, root damage due to underground cabling, and a lack of updated data on tree health have severely compromised Delhi’s arboreal stability.
According to the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994, any tree over 1 metre in height and 5 cm in trunk thickness is protected. However, a 2023 High Court order now mandates that even minor pruning needs prior approval from Tree Officers, complicating routine care. Officials say the new framework—although well-intentioned—has made timely pruning nearly impossible, especially with severe staff shortages in key horticulture departments. More troubling is the widespread disregard for the National Green Tribunal’s order to deconcretise the base of trees. Construction and cement tiling around trunks choke roots and prevent aeration. Despite a 2019 circular reiterating the ban on concretisation within a one-metre radius, compliance has been negligible.
Moreover, the city lacks a comprehensive, digitised tree census. Efforts by agencies like NDMC and the MCD to geo-tag and record trees have not yet translated into a unified or publicly accessible system. Tree Officers are left with little real-time data to make informed decisions, especially when dealing with emergency pruning or transplantations. Termite damage adds another layer of complexity. Hollowed-out tree trunks often go unnoticed until high winds strike. Senior officials highlight that many species, such as the tamarind trees along Akbar Road, are visibly at risk due to infestation and ageing.
As Delhi continues to urbanise rapidly, the gaps in tree maintenance are becoming increasingly dangerous—not just to infrastructure, but to human life. Experts are calling for a modernised, city-specific regulatory framework that differentiates between urban and forest trees, enables proactive horticulture, and leverages digital technologies for monitoring. For now, each thunderstorm leaves behind not just broken branches, but a deeper question about Delhi’s preparedness in managing its urban natural assets amid a changing climate.
Delhi’s Tree Failures A Wake Up Call for Urban Planning
