Unplanned urbanization and canopy losses in Indian Punjab

Urbanization, the increase in concrete areas in cities, has lead to alternation in land use patterns across the globe. This expansion of concrete regions in the cities has mainly impacted the canopy cover in the regions. Those regions of the earth that were once inhabited by the trees have now got turned into the concrete floors of cities. Despite the fact that forested land is critical for a healthy ecosystem, trees are being cut without appropriate concern and consideration. The Indian state of Punjab is undergoing through a heavy load of unplanned urbanization that has lead to serious canopy losses in the state. Had the state been a rich in forested land, it would not have had demanded serious attention. However, Punjab is no longer known to be rich in canopy cover. It is the state with the minimum forest cover in the country that counts to almost 3.5 % of its 50362sq Kms of area or even lesser with continued deforestation in the name of development. The state lost 9lakh trees between 2011 and 2017 while reforestation and afforestation has taken up the back seat during these years. As the tree cutting continues in the state, this percentage is approaching even a smaller value with each passing day. With this small canopy cover and a population of 28 million to support, the state has already started observing some of the disastrous consequences of unplanned urbanization and canopy losses; be it depleting water table, changes in weather patterns, unhealthy air or water scarcity. This article reviews the alarming bells that unsustainable development at the cost of forested land has begun to ring for the imbalance in nature that reduced forest cover has started to generate in the state of Punjab.