Vetal Hill

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Vetal Hill" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Vetal Hill
Vetal Hill
Highest point
Elevation	800 m (2,600 ft)
Coordinates	18°31′31″N 73°48′55″E / 18.52528°N 73.81528°E / 18.52528; 73.81528
Geography
Vetal Hill Pune, Maharashtra, India Show map of Maharashtra Vetal Hill Vetal Hill (India) Show map of India
Parent range	Western Ghats

Vetal Hill (

Location and physiography

Vetal Hill is a part of Bhamburda Van Vihar located on the western side of Pune Municipal Corporation within the city limits. Vetal Tekdi is prominent and is visible from

. The geographical area is 180 30’ to 180 32’ N and 730 49’ to 730 52’ E covering an area of 10.5 square kilometres (4.1 sq mi).

It runs North-South with some spurs running perpendicular to this hill. Vetal hill runs across areas like MIT College, SNDT Women's University, ILS Law College, Gokhale Nagar, Symbiosis Society and Chatturshrungi.^[2]

There is one access road leading up the hill from the south. This can be used to access the Automotive Research Association of India campus located on the hill. There is a public parking lot also located along this road, however access is restricted to this between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm.

Climate

Summers are hot and dry on the hill. The summit is difficult to climb during the monsoon season and is usually foggy. Winter days are also cool and foggy. Sunrise and sunset at Vetal Hill attracts many photographers.

The area shares almost same climatic conditions as that of Pune.

Flora and Fauna

The forest type in this area is dry-

.

Much before Joshi and Kumbhojkar’s work, ecological survey of the hill was conducted by Ezekiel around 1917-1918. Joshi, Kumbhojkar and Kulkarni in their work on changing floristic pattern of Vetal hill (1992) reported absence of 30 species which were reported by Ezekiel.

The dominant plant community in the area is

is one interesting example for spread of exotic species. This species was planted by Britishers in Pune University area. This species was totally absent on other areas of Pune. Recently however, the species is observed to be spreading in and around the area of the Vetal Hill, and is on the verge of becoming dominant species there.

The area is important on account of the occurrence of some important endemic species. Some examples of the endemic species found here are Jatropha nana, Cissus woodrowii, Mussanda laxa, Indoneesiella echioides, etc.

There are 240 species of birds that inhabit the woodlands and forest, including the common peafowl, flycatcher, common wood-shrike, rufous treepie, spotted dove, etc.^[3][4]

Current status

During the last few years the area has been subjected to various stresses of anthropogenic activities. Plantation of exotic species by forest department, urban development, tree cutting are few of them. Many afforestation programs have been undertaken either by Pune Municipal Corporation or by state forest Department have resulted in growth of many ornamental and exotic species. The Forest Department has also build proper fences to safeguard animals and birds especially peacocks also providing them with appropriate water supply. This has affected in some or other way on the natural vegetation of the hill. A new road connecting Balbharati and Paud Phata is proposed so as to decrease traffic pressure in Nal Stop Chowk. The road will cut across a nearly two kilometre patch of forest on vetal hill, cutting close to ten thousand fully matured and grown trees. The proposed bypass will bring automobile pollution, noise and congestion into the heart of a green area at the foot and lower ridge of the Vetal hill. This is a catastrophic proposal and will destroy one of the last virgin green areas left in Pune.

Several citizen groups and activists have opposed the proposal. Twelve NGOs recently wrote a letter to the PMC opposing the road. A blog and an online petition was promoted to stop the construction of the road.

and the HC has stayed the construction of the road. Due to increased urbanization and increased population the biotic pressure in the form of cutting of trees has increased on forest of Vetal Hill.

References