Stop indiscriminate tree felling
Shrinking green cover of the city has become a major concern as trees are indispensable for controlling heat, improving air quality and preserving environmental balance. With rapid urbanisation, widening of roads and unchecked construction, a large number of trees have been axed across the city. The loss of green cover has contributed to the rising heat, making summers more uncomfortable and increasing the urban heat island effect. Areas that were once shaded by trees are now exposed to direct sunlight, resulting in higher surface temperatures and greater energy consumption for cooling. Besides combating heat, trees absorb pollutants, reduce dust and support biodiversity. Stricter policies against indiscriminate tree felling are the need of the hour. Authorities should make compensatory plantation mandatory, ensure survival of saplings and impose heavy penalties on violations, if any. At the same time, citizens must participate in plantation drives. Preserving and expanding the city’s green cover is essential for a healthy and sustainable future.
Novin Christopher
Trees act as natural cooling systems
The depleting green cover is a major concern as trees act as natural cooling systems. Indiscriminate tree felling must stop and the authorities need to enforce strict policies to achieve this target. The municipal corporation (MC) should mandate anyone cutting a tree to plant five in its stead, along with mandatory geo-tagging and three-year survival check. Authorities should avoid unnecessary pruning or removal during peak summer months. Trees like neem, peepal and gulmohar reduce temperatures by about five degrees Celsius, along with adding to the surroundings’ beauty and giving shade during hot weather. The city can’t sustain any more air-conditioners (ACs) and we need to grow more trees. Locals, educational institutions and Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs) must adopt trees and ensure their survival. The MC should take up the responsibility of watering trees in summers to ensure their survival.
RS Sembhi
Need strict policy reforms
Strict regulations against arbitrary tree felling are needed to solve the problem of the declining green cover. Severe punishments should be handed out for violations. Prior permission from the authorities should be made a must for chopping any mature tree. There is also a need for more plantation drives.
Tamanpreet Kaur Khangura
Mature trees lower temp around them
The shrinking tree cover intensifies the urban heat island effect. Concrete and asphalt replace natural shade, absorbing and radiating heat. Stricter policies are necessary to halt indiscriminate tree felling as they provide cooling. Mature trees can lower nearby surface temperature by up to two degree Celsius and ambient air temperature by up to 5.6 degrees. By shading buildings, trees decrease the load on air conditioners, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and power grid strain. Concrete structures absorb solar radiation and release it at night, keeping nights uncomfortably warm. Trees help mitigate it and provide a critical buffer to combat health risks during heatwaves. The state’s forest cover has dwindled to less than three per cent, making it among the lowest in the country. Authorities are also recognising the need for stricter regulations.
Sukhdev Sharma
Weak enforcement can’t solve issue
The shrinking green cover is adversely affecting the city’s heat problem. Ludhiana, like many rapidly urbanising cities, has seen a decline in tree cover due to development, infrastructure projects and indiscriminate tree felling. We know trees block direct sunlight, preventing surfaces, like roads and buildings, from absorbing and radiating heat. Enforcement is essential to solve the issue as voluntary or weak measures often fail against development pressures. While the state has already taken steps to address the issue, including a Tree Preservation Policy for non-forest lands, requiring permissions, compensatory planting of five saplings per chopped tree, permits must be mandatory for felling any tree. Higher penalties must be imposed and a multi-pronged approach should be put into use, combining protection, expansion, maintenance and urban planning.
Mohammad Saleem Farooqui
Problem not unique to Ludhiana
Many cities are facing the problem of shrinking tree cover. Trees play an important role in keeping the environment cool and healthy. They provide shade, reduce pollution and help lower temperatures. When trees are chopped for roads, buildings and other development projects, cities become hotter. To improve the situation, stricter rules should be enforced against unnecessary tree felling. For every tree chopped, multiple new trees should be planted. The government, schools and local communities should regularly organise plantation drives. People should also be encouraged to plant trees in parks, gardens and the surroundings of their homes. Public awareness campaigns can help citizens understand the importance of trees. By protecting existing trees and planting more saplings, we can reduce heat, improve air quality, and create a cleaner, greener and healthier city.
Amarjit Singh Oberoi
Don’t rely solely on volunteers
In 2024, a scientific initiative to plant trees based on satellite heat maps was launched in the city, prioritising the hottest zones which can generally be six degrees Celsius warmer. It must be revived with proper monitoring. Lack of following through after enforcement drives and staff shortages are among the main issues hampering green cover expansion. The government must ensure regular maintenance, including watering and guarding, of plants in public areas, rather than relying solely on volunteers. Support drives, like the Monsoon Tree Campaign and Lungs of Ludhiana, should also be intensified. The lack of a dedicated penalty mechanism needs to be fixed at the earliest. The government should promote reflective paints and green roofs to complement tree cover.
Farzana Khan
Stricter policies need of the hour
Trees cool the environment through shade and evapotranspiration. The very people who chop trees illegally complain about global warming. We must be aware of the importance of trees. The administration should remain alert and enforce strict policies to stop illegal tree felling, especially in eco-sensitive zones. To maintain the existing green cover, the administration should impose heavy fines on offenders and dole out punishment.
Sucha Singh Sagar
Trees act as ACs that run for free
Trees, especially ones with rich foliage, are natural ACs that run for free. As a bonus, they also provide us oxygen. There should be a total ban on tree felling and proper guidelines should be issued for pruning. As it stands, bare minimum green cover remains and it is necessary to save it. The tendency to plant saplings to compensate for chopped trees is just a complete eyewash. The plants are never taken care of and as a result, only a few survive. Moreover, there is a gap of over 20 years before these saplings mature into trees. The existing green cover should be protected, and increased at the same time. The parks in dilapidated condition should be used for planting neem, peepal, shisham, banyan and other plants. They will provide much-needed shelter to birds, which in turn play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance.
Ravinder Mittal
Devp shouldn’t hurt environment
The city is witnessing a rapid decline in its green belts due to unchecked urbanisation, road widening projects, industrial expansion and commercialisation. While development is necessary for economic growth, it should not come at the cost of environmental destruction. The city has long struggled with inadequate green cover. Earlier, assessments indicated the city’s green cover was far below recommended levels, making it vulnerable to pollution and heat stress. Experts have repeatedly warned an industrial city requires even more green belts, as compared to ordinary ones, to counter pollution generated by industries and vehicles. Residents and urban observers frequently point out areas with mature tree cover, parks and institutional green spaces remain noticeably cooler than heavily concretised industrial zones and densely populated areas. Development and environmental protection should go hand in hand. Every road project should include compensatory plantation. Every industrial approval should mandate green buffers.
Sahajpreet Singh
Taken a turn for the better
The city’s green cover improved between 2000 to 2020, with a net increase of about 340 hectares, according to the Global Forest Watch. Also, the temperature, which peaked at 45.4 degrees Celsius in 2024, was cooler by 1.4 degrees in 2025. But it isn’t enough to tackle problems like intensified pre-monsoon heatwaves and annually increasing night temperature in the city. The fast pace in terms of industries and development is proving detrimental to the environment. There should be stricter rules and policies against tree felling and pollution for enhancing of tree cover and controlling temperature in the city.
Aftab Fateh Singh Bains
Adds to increasing temperatures
The declining tree cover is one of the main reasons for rising temperatures in the city. As soon as any government plans to develop a new area, it should also establish a green area to balance the effect.
Jatinder Kumar
Issue explained
Urban deforestation has become one of the most pressing challenges for modern cities, with Ludhiana being no exception. A steady decline in tree cover has a direct bearing on the city’s rising heat levels. Without the green shield, concrete structures absorb and radiate heat, intensifying the urban heat island effect and making summers harsher. The loss of trees also reduces air quality, depriving residents of the oxygen and pollution-filtering benefits that dense foliage provides. While development and expansion are inevitable, indiscriminate tree felling without adequate compensatory plantation reflects a lack of foresight in urban planning. Stricter policies are essential to curb this trend.
Question for next week
With monsoon around the corner, is the city’s civic infrastructure prepared to withstand potential flooding, waterlogging and drainage failures? Or will residents face the familiar cycle of inundated streets, overflowing sewers and stalled projects once again?
Suggestions in not more than 150 words can be sent to ludhianadesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (June 18).
