Resource detail

Unstoppable development has possibly deprived the ‘Garden City’ of its title. According to a new study, the green cover has reduced to just 0.1 tree per person – a ratio that is far lower than other cities in the country. For example, Gandhinagar in Gujarat has four trees per person. A ratio of at least one tree per person is considered necessary to maintain a healthy urban environment, said lead author of the study T.V. Ramachandra of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The survey of Bangalore’s green cover recorded 14,78,412 trees, using a combination of remote sensing data, topographic maps and GPS-based field surveys. In the last four decades, vegetation cover has declined dramatically from 68 per cent of the total area in 1973 to 23 per cent in 2012, according to the study published by IISc and Karnataka Pollution Control Board. During the same period, the developed area grew from 7.9 per cent to 58 per cent.Tree cover, however, varies between wards.