Dhaka, Sept. 19 -- Dhaka is rapidly trading trees, wetlands, and open land for concrete in an alarming transformation researchers warn is making the capital hotter, more polluted, and increasingly vulnerable to environmental shocks.

Urban planners and environmental experts welcome the government's push to plant more trees, but say simply putting saplings in the ground is not enough.

Where they are planted, what species are chosen, and whether they survive will determine whether the effort makes any real difference.

A new study by the Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) shows just how much Dhaka has changed.

The city lost 31 percent of its tree-covered area in the decade to 2025. Water bodies shrank by 47 percent, while bui...