New Delhi, July 13 -- Urban India's trees are losing their fight for survival. This monsoon, reports of tree deaths from northern and western India have set off alarm bells. The reasons are clear: gross negligence reflected in concretisation around tree bases, poor pruning, lack of disease and pest control, and reckless underground work that damages roots. We are also failing to plant enough surviving replacement trees. At this rate, urban India will soon become "tree-bald." India is already grappling with severe heat and water stress. It cannot afford to lose this natural shield. We are also a biodiversity hotspot, where trees are invaluable not only in themselves but also for sustaining thousands of other species. In the last couple of ye...