After 11-year-old’s death in Mumbai, BMC plans major tree protection reforms

“The roots of trees often get damaged while executing civic infrastructure works, leading to its collapse. Therefore, as part of the recommendations, the committee has proposed that clauses should be included in the tender to make both the contractor and civic department responsible for the upkeep and protection of tree roots falling in alignment of any civic project,” a civic source told The Indian Express.

The committee was constituted after a series of tree collapses across the city, including the June 30 incident in Chembur in which a tree fell on a school bus, killing Vihaan Srivastava. It was asked to submit recommendations within eight days to prevent similar incidents.

According to sources, the panel has also proposed making it mandatory to scientifically assess the impact of roadworks and utility-laying projects on tree root systems before work begins. It has recommended empanelling arborists and tree surgeons to supervise infrastructure projects that could affect trees and suggest changes in execution methodology wherever necessary to ensure tree roots receive adequate aeration and water and do not decay during construction.

“So far, such clauses were not included in civic tenders,” a civic official said.

‘Vriksha Mitra’ programme

The report also proposes launching a ‘Vriksha Mitra’ (Friends of Trees) programme, under which non-profit organisations, citizen groups and community volunteers would be encouraged to participate in monitoring, conserving and protecting Mumbai’s urban trees.

“The basic idea is to make tree conservation a joint initiative of citizens and the administration. Also, a large number of these large trees are located in housing societies and citizens have a clear understanding about the health of trees in their neighbourhood,” the source said.

According to civic officials, similar citizen-led conservation initiatives are active in cities such as Delhi and Hyderabad, while comparable models are followed internationally in Toronto, Singapore, Portland and New York.

Roadworks under scanner

The recommendations come amid growing concern over the impact of road excavation and utility works on Mumbai’s trees.

Between October 2023 and March 2026, the BMC’s Tree Authority issued 428 notices to the Roads Department and utility agencies for damaging tree roots during infrastructure works. During the same period, the roots of 2,615 trees were found to have been damaged during road concretisation and related excavation.

Following the Chembur incident, a preliminary inspection of the site found that while the side roots of the tree remained intact, its core roots had weakened and given way. Civic records also show that in April this year, the M/West ward’s garden department had flagged concerns over unscientific road digging around trees along Road No. 11, where the fatal collapse occurred.

Mumbai has witnessed an unprecedented rise in tree collapses this monsoon. In the first week of July alone, nearly 1,200 trees fell across the city—already 30 per cent more than the 855 tree-fall incidents reported during the entire 2025 monsoon. Between July 5 and 6 alone, heavy rain and strong winds brought down 523 trees. Three people have died in tree-collapse incidents this year, while several others have been injured.

BMC data shows tree-fall incidents have remained consistently high since the civic body’s large-scale road concretisation project began, with 687 incidents recorded in 2023, 653 in 2024 and 855 in 2025. Between 2023 and July 5, 2026, at least 11 people have died in tree-collapse incidents, compared with four deaths between 2020 and 2022.

Environmentalists have long argued that excessive concretisation around tree bases has weakened their root systems.

“These kinds of incidents happen only in Mumbai because no other city concretises tree bases. As a result, trees are left with barely two square metres of exposed soil and their base gradually weakens. The roots cannot expand, soil moisture reduces and the trees become dehydrated internally. They lose their structural balance and collapse at the first spell of heavy rain,” said Stalin D, environmentalist and director of NGO Vanashakti.