HYDERABAD: Come 2021, Hyderabad will have 12 new malls, covering a staggering 6.5 million square feet of area. According to the latest realty report, this fresh crop of swanky shopping-cum-entertainment complexes will come up in locations such as Hi-Tec City , Miyapur , Pocharam , and Secunderabad , among others, “enhancing the social infrastructure” of the city.At present, Hyderabad has over four million sft of the area. This is excluding small-sized establishments.But while the addition of new malls might come as good news to many, environmentalists are a worried lot. Their concerns: higher energy consumption, further reduction in green cover, and an increase in severity of the water crisis plaguing Hyderabad.“Malls have very high parking standards—55% of the total area. To accommodate that, a five-storeyed building will have to dig at least three floors into the ground, where the water channels usually flow. This is bound to adversely impact the water table,” said architect G Srinivas Murthy.Industry observers agree. They, however, put the onus of environmental degradation on the massive commercial activity—retail and office, etc—unfolding in the city. “Collectively, Hyderabad has 57 million sft of space operational. It has another 50 million in the pipeline, over the next three to four years. It is certain to take a huge toll on the green health,” said one of them.That mall often does not comply with the 10% mandatory green area on their premises and are high on energy consumption—courtesy multiplexes and entertainment zones—are also areas of concern, say, experts.“This is mindless development, with no thought given to environment. The green area is only shown on paper,” said Capt J Rama Rao, an eminent environmentalist. He added: “Malls or any such expansive commercial structure, are also major energy guzzlers. They lead to creation of heat islands that destroy the climatic conditions around them.”Incidentally, according to Amarock Property Consultants’ report, Hyderabad along with Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Bengaluru is likely to lead the supply of mall space, with the figure expected to touch 34 million sft.