Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Plan to protect trees

T. Nandakumar

Corporation project for pruning, root-care treatment of trees

Monsoon casualty: Firemen removing a huge tree that fell in the rain and wind in the city last week.

Thiruvananthapuram: The City Corporation has decided to take up an action plan to protect the trees that contribute to the capital’s green cover. A special task force set up by the local body will recommend root-care treatment and annual pruning of trees to protect them during the monsoon period when they are more prone to toppling.

The task force was set up last week to identify and fell the trees that pose danger to life and property. The monsoon rain that lashed the city last week uprooted a sizeable number of the trees that have contributed to the city’s green cover.

Apart from the avenue trees on the roadsides, some of the trees in public compounds also succumbed to the monsoon fury. On one single day, the Fire and Rescue Services received calls to remove over 100 fallen trees from various places in the city and the suburbs.

Task force member and chairman of the corporation’s health standing committee G.R. Anil said the local body decided to cut down unsafe trees in public places. “We have received a large number of complaints from the public regarding trees in danger of being uprooted. It may not be practical to fell all these trees in view of the impact on the environment. Our objective is to protect as many trees as possible. Only the most unstable ones will be axed,” he said.

Mr. Anil said the committee would seek the assistance of the Forest Department and the Department of Museum and Zoos to provide scientific root care treatment for the trees that could be protected. “The annual pruning exercise will be carried out scientifically during the pre-monsoon period,” he said.

Mayor C. Jayan Babu said the local body would bear the expense of felling trees on school premises if the Parent-Teacher Association was unable to foot the cost. Nature lovers said in the absence of conservation efforts or periodic pruning, many of the trees were rendered unstable and prone to toppling. The heavy rain and the accompanying wind only add to the threat, they said.

Majority of the avenue trees pose danger to motorists and pedestrians. While the paved roads, footpath and side drains have restricted root growth, lack of timely pruning has rendered them top-heavy. Motorists are afraid of venturing into the road on windy days when branches come down frequently.

The booming outdoor advertisement industry in the city has added to the woes of the green giants. Hundreds of nails are driven into the trunks and branches of the trees to hold display boards and festival lights. Roots are often ripped up for construction of concrete drains and trenches to lay cables.

Environmentalists said that many of the trees could have been given an extended life by proper root care and periodic pruning of the branches. But officials feel that they would have to be replaced.

Early last year, the Government had finalised plans to cut down 130 trees to widen the Museum-Kowdiar road under the City Roads Improvement Scheme. A compensatory plantation scheme was also drawn up to replace the felled trees. But the project had to be shelved after environmental activists threatened to resist any move to cut down trees.

“Most of the trees identified for felling had outlived time and many were on the verge of toppling. The roads project was actually a blessing in disguise for the city. The landscaping plan was designed not only to compensate for the trees coming under the axe, but also to enhance the greenery and add to the beauty of the cityscape. It was an integral part of the road development scheme,” an official said.

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