Long Read

Sustainability in Hyderābād: Can a Ghost Hunter Find Green in the City of Ghosts?

@Sophia Berg2/7/2026blog

hyderabad’s got more layers than a haunted palace, right? i came here chasing shadows but ended up tangled in its green(ish) veins. let’s grill a local-let’s call him *Raju the Graveyard Shift Rickshaw Driver-who’s seen this city spit out both biryani fumes and solar panels.


Q: Raju, where’s the green in this concrete jungle?
"Arre bhai, you want trees? Go to
KBR Park-it’s like a lung transplant for rich joggers. But don’t drink the water there, my cousin swore he saw a ghost snake in the lake."

Q: What’s the city actually doing about sustainability?
"They put up these fancy LED streetlights near
Banjara Hills, but last week a monkey stole one. Rent there? ₹40k for a shoebox. Jobs? Tech parks hiring like crazy, but the air’s still frying your brain. Safety? Eh, don’t flash your phone near Charminar after midnight."

Q: Weather’s wild here, yeah?
"The air’s thicker than a ghost’s whisper this week, all sticky heat and sudden monsoons trying to baptize your shoes. Two hours to
Bangalore if you need to escape, but good luck-the flights are never on time."

Q: Overheard any eco-gossip?
"Someone told me
Gachibowli’s new apartments have ‘secret gardens’-turned out they just painted the walls green. Drunk advice? Hit the rooftop garden at Lamakaan for cheap chai and less guilt. Another local warned me: ‘Don’t trust the ‘Green Hyderabad’ brochures-half those parks are just concrete with a fancy name.’"


Q: Any real sustainability wins?
"Check out Hyderabad Traffic Police’s weird eco-stunts-they planted trees ON a flyover last month. Also,
Begumpet*’s got a zero-waste cafe run by a mad guy who composts your leftovers into art. Or join the Hyderabad Pollution Control Crew-they’ll give you free masks if you complain enough."


final verdict? hyderabad’s like a half-finished séance: you get flickers of green magic between the chaos, but the ghosts of bad infrastructure never really leave.


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About the author: Sophia Berg

Exploring the intersection of technology and humanity.

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