KTR releases City Biodiversity Index 2022, Hyderabad sees significant progress

Hyderabad: Telangana municipal administration and urban development minister K.T. Rama Rao released the City Biodiversity Index 2022 on Sunday, revealing significant progress in Hyderabad’s biodiversity. Developed to monitor and evaluate biodiversity in cities, the Singapore Index, also known as the City Biodiversity Index, highlighted Hyderabad’s remarkable improvement.

Hyderabad has become the first city to create the Biodiversity Index for the second time. The city scored 57 out of 92 marks in the latest index, prepared by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), based on 23 biodiversity indicators such as conservation efforts and government support in this direction. This marks a significant improvement from its score of 36 out of 92 marks in 2012.

The Telangana government’s green initiatives such as Haritha Haram, urban parks, rejuvenation of water bodies, and forests have led to this remarkable improvement in Hyderabad’s Biodiversity Index. The city, once known as the city of lakes, currently boasts 1,350 water bodies covering 2,000 hectares and has important rock formations spanning 1,600 hectares. The city’s KBR National Park and Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park contribute significantly to biodiversity conservation.

According to the report, Hyderabad is home to 1,305 species of plants, 30 species of odonates, 141 species of butterflies, 42 species of spiders, 60 species of fish, 16 amphibian species, 41 reptile species, 315 bird species, and 58 mammalian species.

Minister KTR appreciated the officials for preparing the Hyderabad-specific Biodiversity Index and said that biodiversity is a crucial aspect in the process of becoming a world-class city. The minister also instructed MAUD officials to develop a five-year action plan to enhance biodiversity and organise World Environment Day on a large scale to raise awareness among the public about ways to improve biodiversity.

The Telangana government has implemented Haritha Haram to enhance biodiversity in all municipalities, and a green budget has been allocated for various programmes such as Pattana Prakruthi Vanalu and Nurseries, which aim to increase the green cover. As a result of these extensive efforts, the green cover across the state has increased, leading to an improvement in biodiversity.

The minister announced that the Haritha Awards would be presented to the best-performing municipality and municipal officers and staff who contribute to increasing green cover. Hyderabad and other towns have received many awards and accolades for their impressive green cover and biodiversity initiatives implemented across the state.