With orange alerts taking centre stage on our phone screens, summer no longer feels like just another season. It arrives with warnings, power cuts, restless afternoons and roads shimmering under a relentless sun.
Across India, temperatures are crossing the 45-degree mark, heatwaves are growing longer, and stepping outside even for a few minutes feels exhausting. From crowded city streets to small towns, the scorching heat is slowly changing the rhythm of daily life.
Amid this unbearable summer, however, there are stories of communities refusing to watch their cities dry up under the sun.
One such story is unfolding in Maharashtra’s Akola, where temperatures recently soared to a blistering 45.6°C, making it one of the hottest regions in Vidarbha.
As the city battles an intense heatwave, residents are not only trying to protect themselves from the rising temperatures, but also the trees silently fighting the heat alongside them.
Akola’s heat problem goes beyond high temperatures
For years, environmental experts have warned that rapid urbanisation, excessive concretisation, road expansion and large-scale tree cutting are making cities significantly hotter. Akola is now witnessing the effects of that transformation in real time.
Residents and volunteers are focusing on preserving existing trees, recognising that decades-old greenery is crucial for keeping urban areas cooler. Photograph: (iStock)
Water bodies are drying faster, groundwater levels are falling, and the absence of tree cover is reducing natural cooling across neighbourhoods.
And when temperatures cross 45 degrees Celsius, trees themselves begin struggling to survive.
That is what pushed citizens in Akola to think differently this summer.
Instead of focusing only on planting new saplings, residents realised that preserving mature trees during extreme heat was equally important.
After all, fully grown trees already provide shade, reduce surface temperatures and improve air quality — benefits that newly planted saplings would take years to offer.
The ‘Tree Lifeline Water Chariot’ keeps trees alive
At the centre of this grassroots effort is a unique citizen-led initiative launched by the Akola Garden Club — the “Tree Lifeline Water Chariot”.
The mobile water vehicle travels across different parts of the city, watering existing trees that are struggling in the harsh summer conditions.
At a time when dry winds and extreme temperatures are draining moisture from the soil rapidly, this simple intervention is helping trees survive one of the harshest summers the city has seen.
Members of the club have emphasised that this is not just about gardening; it is about protecting the city’s environmental shield. They regularly organise exhibitions and awareness activities to encourage residents to care for greenery, but this year, the urgency feels far greater.
The ‘Tree Lifeline Water Chariot’ carries water to mature trees across Akola, helping them survive weeks of intense heat and dry conditions. Photograph: (Grow Billion Trees)
Their message is simple: if mature trees disappear now, cities will become even hotter and harder to live in over the coming years.
The initiative has also inspired residents to participate in smaller ways. People are watering trees near their homes, checking on roadside plants and encouraging neighbours to contribute.
In many areas, what started as a club-led campaign is slowly turning into a shared community responsibility.
Why preserving old trees matters during heatwaves
While plantation drives often receive attention, environmentalists frequently point out that maintenance remains the biggest challenge.
Large trees act as natural cooling systems, lowering surrounding temperatures and offering relief to people navigating scorching summer days. Photograph: (Unsplash)
Thousands of saplings may be planted, but without long-term care, many fail to survive. Akola’s citizen groups are instead drawing attention to the importance of protecting the trees that are already standing.
Large trees naturally cool cities by providing shade and releasing moisture into the air. They lower surface temperatures, reduce heat absorption from concrete roads and create cooler microclimates around homes and public spaces.
In cities facing repeated heatwaves, they become critical urban infrastructure.
What other cities can learn from Akola
As extreme summers become more extreme across India, Akola’s model offers a practical lesson for other cities: climate action does not always need massive funding or complicated technology. Sometimes, it begins with citizens protecting what already exists.
Resident groups, schools, local communities and civic bodies can replicate similar ideas by adopting neighbourhood trees, creating watering schedules during peak summers and ensuring regular maintenance of urban green spaces.
What began as a Garden Club initiative is inspiring more citizens to care for neighbourhood trees and strengthen Akola’s green cover. Photograph: (Freepik)
From watering roadside trees to protecting existing greenery during construction work, these efforts can collectively make cities more resilient.
At a time when heatwaves are becoming a frightening reality, Akola’s “Tree Lifeline Water Chariot” is a reminder that saving a tree may also save a little shade, oxygen and a little hope for the future.
