How citizen power is saving city’s shrinking green cover

Bengaluru,

With concrete pillars steadily replacing trees under the banner of development, Bengaluru has witnessed a drastic decline in its green cover. The city's rapid urbanisation continues unabated, often overlooking the importance of sustainability and the need to preserve its ecological balance.

Over the past few years, environmental awareness and green activism have gained significant momentum, with citizens, environmentalists, and community groups com ing together to protect the city's rapidly shrinking greenery. Their collective efforts have focused on preserving the trees and natural spaces that continue to survive amid increasing urbanisation and infrastructure development.

A recent example of this growing public engagement was the rollback of the Bengaluru Develop ment Authority’s (BDA) proposal to fell 184 trees in HSR Layout for the construction of a BDA complex. The decision was with drawn following sustained opposition from environmental activists, residents, and concerned citizens, underscoring the influence of community-led movements and the growing demand for development that is environmentally responsible.

“The government must make EIAs mandatory for all major infrastructure and development projects before any trees are felled. Wherever project designs allow for the preservation of existing trees, every effort should be made to conserve them. Draft project reports should also be reviewed by environmentalists and tree experts before implementation begins”, said Vinod Jacob, environmentalist and urban strategist.

He stressed that the environmental consequences of any development project must be carefully evaluated before approval is granted. Jacob further urged authorities to work closely with environmental and arboriculture experts dur ing the planning stage to ensure that ecological concerns are adequately addressed and unnecessary tree loss is avoided.

One of Bengaluru’s defining moments in environmental activism was the successful campaign against the proposed Rs 2,100 crore steel flyover project. The project was eventually scrapped following mounting pressure from environmental activists, citizen groups, and the media, who raised concerns over its ecological impact and questioned its effectiveness as a long-term solution to the city’s traffic woes.

The proposed 6.9 km fly over was intended to ease congestion by connecting Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal. However, the protests highlighted the potential loss of hundreds of trees and the adverse impact on the ecology. Another notable environmental movement was the opposition to the RLDA proposal to fell 368 mature trees in the Cantonment Railway Colony for a commercial development project, which was cancelled due to concern among residents, environmental ists, and citizen groups, with several prominent activists coming together to resist the project.

“Environmentalists are not opposed to development. We want to see the city grow and modernise, but not at the expense of its trees and natural ecosystems. We have already witnessed the consequences of unchecked urbanisation and concretisation, with heavy rains uprooting and damaging numerous trees across the city”, said environmentalist Alexander James.

He stressed environmentalists continue to focus on protecting the city’s trees and lakes, and ensure that development is carried out without causing irreversible damage to Bengaluru’s ecological assets.