Pune: A short but fierce stint of rain in the beginning of July heralded this year’s monsoon with its usual dose of havoc. The city witnessed flooded neighbourhoods, waterlogged highways, broken roads, submerged vehicles, and an unprecedented slew of tree-fall incidents.Over 250 trees were recorded to have keeled over and collapsed within Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits since the beginning of this month, while at least 104 such incidents were recorded under Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) limits, as per official data. Although heavy downpours and strong winds are expected to bring down a weakly rooted tree or two, the sheer number of leafed giants that fell across metropolitan areas prompted a broader line of questioning: Was it just the relentless rain, or something more behind this trend?Experts TOI spoke to said that the reasons are increasingly obvious. Everything from concretisation to poor digging practices, improper trimming and lack of incorporating existing trees into early stages of development planning are contributing to tree-fall incidents in the city this year. Lopsided trimming causes imbalance Non-stop infra projects, construction and redevelopment are taking place across the city at any given point of time in the last few years, leading to ceaseless digging activities. Activists pointed out that every single time digging is done around any tree, the anchoring roots are damaged, weakening them and increasing chances of tree fall. Mechanical engineer and botanist Shrikant Ingalhalikar highlighted that in 2026, largely roadside trees have fallen. He said, “It is important to note that these trees have dropped onto the road. Now, it is the natural tendency of a tree to grow towards sunlight, also known as phototrophy. As constructions increase, one side of roadside trees are covered by buildings, so they get no sunlight from that direction. Adding to this, residents of societies cut branches to trim trees and avoid damage to their vehicles or compounds. However, these residents unknowingly damage the tree more than they realise.” He elaborated, “The trees are already leaning towards the road for want of sunlight. Since they only get trimmed from one side, the portion of the tree towards the road gets overburdened as leaves and branches get wet. Ultimately, the tree topples over.” Many tree-fall incidents have also caused serious injuries. On July 4, a large roadside tree fell on a senior citizen on Kunal Icon Road in Pimple Saudagar. He was taken to the hospital by the police and fire brigade team and later declared stable. Elsewhere in Wakad and on Senapati Bapat (SB) Road, tree falls damaged several parked vehicles. “The problem is that these trees are not given any attention throughout the year as they provide shade. Then suddenly, just before monsoon, improper trimming creates a mess. Some claim trimming is not done because environment lovers stop the work. However, the latter do so for a reason, which is that contractors with no expertise on proper trimming processes are hired by authorities, and do whatever they see fit or is easiest for them. No one pays attention to which part of the tree actually needs to be trimmed,” added Ingalhalikar. Unsettling changes beneath the surface“Temperature fluctuations are a major reason behind why trees get weak,” said Ameet Singh, a founder-member of ChaloPMC, a citizens’ group working actively to save trees across Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. He explained, “The city’s land surface area temperatures are on average now 49°C. This heat creates super-dry conditions, causing roots to lose moisture. Meanwhile, concrete and soil below the trees expands. When rainwater gets in, the soil could get saturated with water and roots could lose their grip or become brittle, leading to these trees breaking and falling under their own weight.” The constant uprooting of trees and concretisation of the city has also altered how much soil there actually is under the surface. This change in layers has depleted the amount of soil that exists underground, affecting natural rooting when trees are planted, explained Ketan Latkar, a member of Research and Action in Natural Wealth Administration (Ranwa) Pune. “A tree is planted in the little soil that exists, but the lower layers of concrete are not removed. This is especially true for roadside trees. There are old layers of tar and concrete below, irrespective of which road you pick. This keeps soil at a superficial level, not allowing anchoring roots to hold firmly. When these roads are dug up for any cable works, roots are further weakened, mostly in cases where digging happens right next to a tree. This often reduces the tree’s stability, allowing for it to topple over eventually,” Latkar told TOI. “Trees need to be planted at least 5-7ft underground. Most civic bodies simply hire contractors, be it for digging or for plantation drives. Their workers do not have the required expertise. They need supervision, which doesn’t always happen. It is only when attention is paid during planting of saplings and during project planning stages around trees that we can truly avoid them falling,” he added. Pre-monsoon cutting opposed: But why? Various civic officials, and even a recent statement by Pune mayor Manjusha Nagpure, have blamed environmentalists for rampant tree falling incidents, claiming that they oppose much-needed tree trimming activities across areas. But why do they oppose it? Environmentalists said it is simply because trimming is not done scientifically. “Activists and eco groups often oppose tree trimming as it is not done in a proper manner. They believe that civic bodies and contractors misuse the given permissions. Because there is opposition, contractors do the bare minimum. Hence, while trimming could stabilise a tree before the monsoon to prevent it from falling, this does not get accomplished efficiently. Later, tree falling incidents become common,” Ingalhalikar said, adding, “It is the responsibility of the civic body to conduct a survey of trees prior to the rainy season to check for damage, see if it is leaning in a way that could cause a fall, and then trim it only to help stabilise the tree. This is never done.” Interestingly, Maharashtra still does not have a standard operating procedure (SOP) for pre-monsoon tree cutting. The task is left to each civic body, which has the authority to grant permissions to applicants who request for felling or trimming, following due process under the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975. The responsibility of conducting pre-monsoon tree trimming activities lies with the garden department of the respective civic body. Emphasizing the importance of streamlining the system, Singh said, “Trees are the biggest rainwater harvesting technology available to humans. Around 63% of the city’s surface is covered with concrete, while trees cover only about 5-6%. Today’s trees are choked by concrete and their roots squirrelled away by underground utility infrastructure on streets. Unless expert advice is considered and evidence procured to determine the health of trees using LIDAR, tree MRIs and X-rays, tree falls will just keep happening.“Officials SpeakWe can’t guarantee that a tree won’t fall. Most don’t visually show signs of weakness. However, over time, concreting and pipeline laying weaken roots, making trees more prone to falling. Roots need air, water and nutrition, which is a problem when they get covered in concrete. When it rains continuously, branches get heavy; if the wood is already weak, a tree topples over. Pruning and trimming is also not done in a scientific way by private contractors hired by societies. When PMC gives tree trimming permission, the local ward officer goes to the site to supervise the activity if a society informs them. PMC began trimming in March this year, but halted when it got very hot this summer, as we did not want to compromise on shade — Ashok Ghorpade | Chief garden superintendent, PMCWe had printed circulars in various newspapers prior to the monsoon, asking residents to let us know if there are any dangerous trees that need to be felled. Other than improper trimming, concreting could also be a cause for tree falls this year. I have instructed wards to work on freeing trees from concrete if they are suffocated, to ensure that tree falls can be prevented as much as possible. We are also working on identifying such trees — Mahesh Gargote | Garden department chief, PCMC
