Hyderabad is fast losing its green cover

Hyderabad: Hyderabad’s green cover is so scanty that it could shock ecologists and environmentalists. The city’s green cover is a staggering 4-5 per cent of the total green cover as per the built-up area, while as per the standard, the green belt should be 15 per cent.

Chandigarh is the only city in India that has 15 per cent of greenery. The green cover is calculated as per the square yards of the city, its population and the built-up area.

With 4-5 per cent of green cover, Hyderabad does not even make it to the top 10 environmental-friendly cities. One crore saplings planned to be planted this term will slightly increase the percentage. However, much still needs to be done.

A study done by the  new Indian Institute of Science (IISc) study that used satellite-borne sensors, compared images over decades and modeled past and future growth, revealed the rate of urbanisation in Hyderabad.

It was found that  tree cover fell from 2.71 percent to 1.66 per cent over 20 years. By 2024, trees will cover only 1.84 percent of city’s area, said the study.

Reducing green cover could also lead to lesser rainfall in the region affecting the economy. Going by the  statistics taken from 2016, urban built-up area rose 400 per cent between 1999 and 2009. In 1999, 2.55 percent of land was built up; in 2009, 13.55 percent, which is predicted to rise to 51.27 percent by 2030.