India, March 4 -- After the pre-summer heatwave and high temperatures last week, the BMC on Monday undertook an emergency tree survey called 'Dead Dangerous Tree' to identify those trees on the city's roads that had weakened over time due to low moisture and concretisation around their base. About 1,000 trees are expected to be surveyed in the next eight days, with officials prioritising areas with ongoing road concretisation.

Ideally, trees need as much area as their canopy to grow. "But contractors don't leave the one-square-metre space that's required for the roots," said the official. "Additionally, they tend to park cement and mixtures in the block secured for trees, which then mixes with the soil and affects the trees' stability. U...