Concrete killing green
| Date :18-May-2024 |
By Dheeraj Fartode
For years together they stood tall by road side, providing respite to citizens from the scorching summer heat and the cool breeze flowing from them providing cool comfort. And then a brain wave hit the planners and they coined a term ‘development’ and many gloated at the sight of concrete roads and solid pavements that came-up eventually throughout the city. But the glossy and shiny cement constructions showed their true might as they silently started choking the green cover that are now falling like nine pins. Every time there is a storm, these lush green trees start falling by roadside, and with them the legacy of our yesteryears is also passing into pages of history, which however will not mention the correct reason why they met the untimely death. And, also no one will be responsible for pushing the city into another gas chamber, as once these tall and lush green trees are gone, many of them were chosen specially as per locales, their replacements are not going to be come-up their. Hence the spectacle of trees falling by even at slightest breeze is a discomforting sight.
The Thursday storm saw loss of 18 trees. This may be just another number in the statistics, but what it does not tell is how they were being systematically ‘killed’ in the name of development. As these massive trees got uprooted, many of them also wrecked apart the strong concrete base that enveloped them, it shows the tragic neglect of our legacy. During last two-and-half-months where such storm, as the one witnessed on Thursday, has hit the city, nearly 100 trees have met untimely death. The loss of the full grown trees even during moderate winds revealed that the trees in Nagpur are fighting for their life as their roots are day by day getting hallow due to reckless use of concrete. Though one can see the massive round about around these trees, but one does not take into account the eco-system that is needed for that particular tree to survive. Everywhere the trees roots are topped-up by thick layer of concrete that prevents percolation of rain water that enables it to further entrench itself in the ground.
According to the NMC, distress calls reporting tree falls flooded in from various areas including Sakkardara (3), Narendra Nagar (2), Cotton Market (2), Ganjipeth, Kalamna, Lakadganj (4), and Civil Lines. An analysis of the fallen trees reveals a troubling trend: shallow root systems. The lack of deep-rootedness made these trees sensitive to getting uprooted by the force of wind. However, root of this problem extends beyond natural causes; it lies in human intervention. A major contributing factor to the tree falls is tree choking, exacerbated by ongoing construction projects such as the laying of cement roads and footpaths throughout the city. Despite these developments being crucial for infrastructure enhancement, the NMC’s failure to safeguard trees during construction has resulted in concrete encroachment around their trunks which block their healthy growth.
The concrete poured around the base of trees acts as a barrier which stop the absorption of essential nutrients and moisture from the soil. As a result, the roots fail to penetrate deeper into the ground and weaken the tree’s stability and resilience against adverse weather conditions, stated a senior tree expert Baba Deshpande. Many citizens have voiced their distress over the decreasing green cover across the city as they are witnessing the increasing frequency of tree falls even in relatively mild winds. Experts warn that each fallen tree represents not just a loss of greenery but also a threat to public safety. “In every storm, many trees are falling,” remarked Baba Deshpande and underlined the gravity of the situation. “This is very dangerous for the city. A tree takes around 5-7 years to become a fully grown tree, and due to mismanagement of the municipal corporation, we are losing them within minutes,” stated Deshpande.