.jpeg)
Protecting Trees
• Restoring Groundwater
• Securing Our Future
Punjab is losing trees faster than they are being replaced. Urban expansion, road projects, illegal felling and neglect have created an ecological and public-health crisis — worsening air pollution, heat, soil erosion and rapid groundwater depletion. Vatrukh Foundation believes that trees must be treated as essential public-interest in frastructure — not as disposable objects. That’s why we are working to ensure Punjab enacts a strong, enforceable Tree Protection Act.
Trees are life-support systems. They:
Purify air and reduce pollution
Lower heat and create shade
Prevent soil erosion and flooding
Support birds, bees and biodiversity
Improve mental health and community wellbeing
Recharge groundwater by allowing rainwater to seep into the soil
Trees are the natural guardians of Punjab’s water security — and once a mature tree is gone, it takes decades to replace its ecological value.
We work to ensure that every tree in Punjab has a voice — and legal protection.
We campaign for a dedicated Tree Protection / Preservation Act so that trees cannot be cut without permission, accountability and compensatory planting.
We spread awareness, organise community campaigns and empower citizens to protect the green cover around them.
We recommend policies such as:
✔ District-level Tree Officers
✔ Strict penalties for illegal cutting
✔ Protection for heritage and native trees
✔ Mandatory re-plantation with survival audits not just token plantation drives
.webp)
4. Groundwater Recharge Through Trees
Punjab’s groundwater table is collapsing. Vatrukh Foundation strongly advocates recognising trees as natural groundwater-recharge systems that:
5. Community-Led Tree Protection
We believe every citizen must have the right to object to unnecessary tree cutting — and a legal pathway to protect community trees.
Where trees cannot be destroyed casually — and environmental justice guides development.
Where trees, forests, farmland and urban green belts actively recharge groundwater.
Where every planted tree is protected, monitored and supported to maturity.
Where citizens, farmers, schools and communities become custodians of nature.
Punjab is facing one of the fastest groundwater declines in India. Trees help restore balance by:
You can support the Tree Protection Act by:
Together, we can restore Punjab’s green lungs and groundwater lifeline.
Protecting Trees
• Restoring Groundwater
• Securing Our Future
Punjab currently has approximately 3.67% recorded tree cover, far below the national and global ecological benchmark of around 33%considered necessary to maintain environmental balance.
Declining groundwater recharge
Rising surface temperatures and heat stress
Increased soil degradation and erosion
Higher vulnerability to floods and droughts
Without adequate tree cover, Punjab risks moving steadily towards land degradation and desertification-like conditions, particularly in water-stressed and over-developed regions.
Vatrukh Foundation partners with institutions, local bodies ,and communities to strengthen tree protection frameworks in Punjab. Through strategic policy engagement, technical inputs, and collaborative stake holder processes, the Foundation supports effective implementation of the Punjab Tree Protection Act, with a focus on:
Climate resilience and water security
Urban and rural tree conservation
Monitoring, compliance, and impact assessment
Long-term ecological value creation
Tree protection is a shared responsibility — and a measurable climate action opportunity.
We support the development and strengthening of a dedicated Tree Protection / Preservation Act
.png)
.png)
Vatrukh Foundation believes in citizens outreach programme, involvement of stakeholders, research based solutions. Community participation for implementation to drive fair, lasting change in society.
Vatrukh Foundation empowers citizens with tools like petitions, research, and outreach so they can engage with decision-makers, hold them accountable, and drive fair, lasting change in society.
.png)
.png)
.png)
