100+ Urban Forests and Growing: The Grassroots Effort Cooling India’s Cities

This article has been published in partnership with CATCH Foundation.

“Dusty and lifeless” is how Rita Pravinbhai Sutri (53) used to describe her neighbourhood in Karelibaugh, Vadodara. As someone who loved passing her time at the window, Rita had come to detest the view — an undulating, barren landscape.

Then one day, things changed, when a tapestry of green greeted her instead. The reforestation efforts by the Ahmedabad-based CATCH Foundation along with CSR support, were finally yielding results. 

Today, the canopy of trees in Karelibaugh gives way to cool breezes, providing Rita and the locals with a plethora of ways to spend their evenings. “Earlier, spending time outdoors wasn’t very enjoyable. In summer, the heat was harsh. But now, I spend much more time outside, going for walks, meeting neighbours, or simply relaxing near the greenery. The forest has made our neighbourhood feel alive,” she says.  

The locals are particularly thrilled with their new forest, created by the CATCH Foundation, an NGO restoring the health of cities by growing dense urban forests to increase green cover. The greenery forecasts a cool summer, a relief as mercury levels across India soar.  

These forests are a nod to the ‘green revolution’ that they set out to create, says Bharat Sisodia, Founder of CATCH Foundation, crediting the Miyawaki technique (a Japanese technique for creating dense, native forests in limited spaces) for inspiring their work. Acknowledging that an effort of this magnitude takes a village, Bharat says they draw on local wisdom and support from public and private stakeholders to flesh out their green goals.

“We customised the Miyawaki to suit needs in India and made it more comprehensive while adding a three-year maintenance and other necessary steps for improving the survival and growth of the plants,” he shares.  

The foundation’s roots go back to 2014 when it started as a community-driven endeavour that began conducting cleanliness drives across cities. Since then, their mission has remained unchanged — to reintegrate forests into India’s urban chapters.

Resuscitating India’s barren lands   

As group commander Jagdish Prasad Maithani strolls across the NSG (National Security Guard) campus at Manesar, Gurugram, he notes the conspicuous dip in the temperature. The cause lies in the 70,000 trees planted along the campus perimeter. This greening effort had many advantages, Jagdish says.

Along with the four-degree Celsius drop in temperature, he says, “We are also seeing improved soil health, reduction in dust levels, and the gradual return of small fauna.”  

In addition to this, he says the project’s impact on the local communities has been telling. “The plantation drives have created temporary employment opportunities, particularly for marginalised groups, in nursery management, plantation, and upkeep.” 

Collaborating with CATCH Foundation meant that the team at NSG was in constant touch with the land’s progress. Sharing that transparency is a mainstay of their approach, Bharat says their three-level monitoring system makes this possible. “Our environmental protectors see to the upkeep of the plot and report to the maintenance in charge, who then report to the forest conservation managers. This ensures that the company knows everything about their plot and how it is doing.

He adds, “We have a mobile app that can be accessed by all stakeholders, which is used to assess on-ground activities. Transparency is a benchmark in this industry.”  

The selection of the site, too, is methodical, he adds. Every plot of land undergoes stringent assessment to ascertain its viability and the ecological implications of reforestation in the area.  Take, for instance, the NSG campus. The campus is nestled in the Aravalli ranges, whose green undertones have been destroyed by rampant illegal mining and deforestation. The levels of destruction peaked; in 2009, the Supreme Court banned illegal quarrying in the region. 

But Jagdish draws your attention to the other, lesser-known culprit that is also wreaking havoc in these hills. He shares how the invasive vilayati kikar (Prosopis juliflora) was introduced into the region during colonial times, in a major upset to the land. It is out-competing the native flora of the hills. 

“The Aravalli range is one of the oldest fold mountains in India and plays a crucial role in protecting the NCR region from desertification. The plant has degraded much of the Aravalli landscape and years of degradation have weakened its natural barriers,” Jagdish says, adding that the most viable antidote would be the integration of diverse native species like dhau (Anogeissus pendula), dhak (Butea monosperma) and salai (Boswellia serrata) to restore the ecological balance. 

And CATCH Foundation’s efforts for reforestation in the NSG campus are a step towards this. 

A blueprint for building a forest 

In a forest, having trees of varying heights is good from two standpoints — they support different species, and they influence different levels of light and water availability. The CATCH Foundation model is cognisant of this. It accounts for plants of every height, from shrub layers (6 feet) to the canopy layers (above 40 feet).

After the inspection of the land, a land letter is acquired from the government. This documentation legally allows CATCH Foundation to lease the land and subject it to reforestation efforts. The next step is soil testing (and conducting a baseline survey of the site before plantation), borewell digging, and then the creation of fencing systems to prevent any intervention from the local groups of domestic animals that might harm the plantation.

The CATCH team works on the project with post-plantation maintenance. They share that the team employs and trains local marginalised communities, ensures regular activities and ensures the forest is made self-sustainable in three years. 

This is followed by integrating solar systems (in some cases) to harness green power, in a bid to make the forest grid-free. 

Next is the excavation stage where the land is prepared for plantation. Its productivity is enhanced with cow dung and rice husks; the latter is a dense source of carbon, which increases the water and nutrient-holding capacity of the soil. 

The soil is mulched with agro-waste and then nourished with manure and vermicompost, which boost its nutrition quotient. What follows is the plantation activity.   

Every forest created by CATCH Foundation is a green oasis around which civilisation thrives. The foundation wishes to make forests mainstays in cities rather than fleeting inclusions. To ensure this permanence, there is a stringent assessment of these forests during the first three years. One of the main aims during this time is to keep the forest weed-free. 

Once the forest is thriving without intervention, the benefits are plenty. The most important of these is carbon sequestration. 

A single mature tree can absorb around 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. In doing so, trees lower the ambient temperatures, creating a more comfortable microclimate. 

Sparking a positive revolution 

As trees absorb excess water, these forests reduce surface runoff, thus reducing the risk of flooding in heavy rainfall events. This success is mirrored by the project at Vadodara, where L&T partnered with CATCH Foundation to create multiple forests with 50,000 trees in the Harni area of Vadodara. 

Pritesh Shah, who leads CSR initiatives in the Vadodara region for L&T Energy Hydrocarbon, is fascinated by how tech-driven monitoring tools enabled them to track the health and growth of each forest patch. 

“The impact is visible, some of these forests are already mature and self-sustaining, showing remarkable progress within just two years. It has attracted biodiversity and promoted the importance of a better environment,” he shares. He adds that the forests are helping mitigate the effects of urbanisation in Vadodara. 

“There is always the challenge of balancing development with sustainability. The green transformation is crucial because it addresses both climate and community needs.” The Vadodara model perfectly underscores how urbanisation and green ecosystems can thrive hand-in-hand. 

With over 104 forests created across India, CATCH Foundation is reimagining our cities and, in turn, the world in which we live. CATCH partners with many CSR collaborators in the alignment of environmental conservation and the goal of improving urban greenery.

Edited by Khushi Arora, All images courtesy CATCH Foundation