Ring of concrete: The seven flyovers that will cost Hyderabad a national park
Hyderabad’s Rs 1,090 crore HCITI project, led by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, plans seven flyovers and underpasses encircling the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park, threatening its wildlife, including Indian Grey Hornbills, and disrupting its ecological functions like groundwater recharge and air quality regulation. The Supreme Court temporarily halted tree felling near the park in May 2025, but the project’s 12-meter-high concrete structures risk isolating the park, increasing bird extinction rates, and diverting monsoon runoff into the Musi sewer network, despite its status as a critical green lung for the city.
Hyderabad’s Rs 1,090 crore Hyderabad City Innovative and Transformative Infrastructure (HCITI) project, executed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), threatens the ecological integrity of the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) National Park. The project includes seven flyovers and seven underpasses surrounding the 390-400-acre urban forest, which serves as a climate-regulating core for western Hyderabad. The park hosts diverse wildlife, including Indian Grey Hornbills, peafowl, civets, and monitor lizards, while also moderating temperatures, recharging groundwater, and reducing pollution. The HCITI’s tender documents, issued on December 27, 2024, outline a 79,723 square-meter concrete structure—equivalent to 11 FIFA football fields—requiring 29,305 tonnes of cement. The project approved the felling of 1,942 mature trees in a single Tree Protection Committee meeting on April 29, 2025, despite acquiring 332 properties under emergency clauses that bypassed public hearings and social impact assessments. On May 18, the Supreme Court stayed tree-felling activities near the park’s eco-sensitive zone (ESZ). Ecologists warn the flyovers and underpasses will fragment the park’s canopy, remove critical nesting and feeding trees, and amplify traffic noise and heat-island effects. The 12-meter-high concrete barriers will eliminate the park’s 100-meter ecological buffer, isolating it and risking a 15–20% decline in resident bird species within two decades. Four flyovers directly intersect the 5–12-meter flight corridor used by grey hornbills, shikras, and rose-ringed parakeets. Hydrological damage is also irreversible: seven underground sumps and 2.1 kilometers of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) pipes will divert monsoon runoff from the park’s recharge zones into the Musi sewer network. The project’s scale—1,942 trees felled and 332 properties acquired without mandatory assessments—raises concerns about long-term ecological and social consequences for one of India’s last urban forests.
This content was automatically generated and/or translated by AI. It may contain inaccuracies. Please refer to the original sources for verification.