Another storm, another trail of fallen trees across Delhi

New Delhi: Two squalls with wind speeds of up to 120kmph battered Delhi on Tuesday night, uprooting trees and snapping branches across the city and triggering at least 42 calls to Delhi Traffic Police, nearly 40 to the PWD control room and eight to NDMC.

Even on Wednesday morning, fallen trees and hanging branches continued to obstruct roads in several parts of the city, including Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar and Rohini. In East of Kailash, Karan Aggarwal said a tree on Raja Dhir Sen Marg fell late Tuesday and remained uncleared till Wednesday morning. “It was concretised around the base. This is my daily walking route, thank God I wasn’t there,” he said. “Storms often cause more damage than waterlogging. Regular pruning, inspections and better coordination among agencies are essential.”

Some went online too. A Vasant Kunj resident raised an “urgent safety concern” after a large branch crashed into residential premises. “Thankfully, no one was injured. Immediate inspection and pruning are needed before a tragedy occurs,” the resident posted online. Another post warned of a huge tree blocking Hauz Khas Market Road near NIFT and urged traffic diversions.

Delhi Traffic Police said complaints were immediately relayed to civic agencies. “Traffic personnel worked through the night with PCR units and other agencies to clear road obstructions on priority. Teams removed fallen trees and branches, cleared debris and restored road access at multiple locations,” an official said. PWD sources said road clearance began as soon as complaints were received and continued through the night.

Tuesday’s impact was not isolated though. Strong winds routinely bring down trees in Delhi, often damaging vehicles, power lines and public infrastructure. After Delhi High Court stayed the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by Delhi govt in May 2025, which allowed the pruning of certain tree branches without prior approval, the forest and wildlife department, in a June 2 order, stated that no action should be taken under the stayed provisions.

The SOP had a provision stating that if a tree requiring pruning was located in a public space such as a road, footpath, street or park under the jurisdiction of agencies, including MCD, NDMC, DDA, PWD, CPWD, ASI or Delhi Cantonment Board, or within the premises of any govt agency, and posed a danger to life, property or traffic, those agencies could undertake tending or light pruning themselves, irrespective of the tree’s girth. However, this provision has been stayed.

This May, PWD ordered a survey of trees along its 1,400km arterial road network to identify those at risk of falling during storms. Officials were directed to complete the exercise by May 15, remove hazardous trees by May 31 and certify that no dangerous trees remained in their jurisdictions. However, sources said, little removal work has been carried out.

Experts said many trees were uprooted due to poor management as arborists were not engaged for preservation, concretisation and termite infestation.

CR Babu, professor emeritus and head of Centre for Environment Management of Degraded Ecosystems, said many trees in Delhi were already weakened by termite infestation or hollow trunks. “Many are also surrounded by concrete, which restricts root growth. In several areas, poor soil moisture further limits nutrient uptake,” he said. Babu added that isolated trees were more likely to be uprooted in high winds than those growing in clusters.

Tree activist Bhavreen Kandhari said trees didn’t become vulnerable overnight. “Years of concretisation, root damage from construction, shrinking growing space and lack of arboricultural care weaken them long before a storm strikes,” she said. “Despite repeated court interventions, Delhi still lacks a robust tree healthcare system.”

Kandhari said the high court had pushed for measures such as tree ambulances, rapid-response systems and scientific tree management, but implementation remained limited. “Authorities must move beyond plantation targets and invest in tree health, trained arborists, root-zone protection and emergency response systems,” she said. “With climate change likely to bring more frequent and intense storms, tree health must become a core urban planning priority.”