Staff of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation clearing uprooted trees in Uppal, Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: G RAMAKRISHNA
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s decision to take stock of the trees which are prone to fall in future, and translocate them is raising several eyebrows.
As per the sources, close to 600 vulnerable trees have been identified in the six zones.
After the recent tree fall incidents resulting in fatalities, GHMC has taken up an exercise to enumerate the weak and vulnerable trees, and to translocate them if they are alive.
A week ago, a dried-up tree fell on a couple on a two-wheeler in Bolarum, killing the husband and grievously injuring the wife.
On Tuesday, due to heavy winds accompanied by rain, a total 39 trees were uprooted, a large number of them in the LB Nagar zone.
During the past month, the city has seen close to 700 trees or tree branches falling on roads & power lines due to stormy gusts of pre-monsoons showers.
GHMC Commissioner D. Ronald Rose confirmed that to prevent mishaps, trees vulnerable to fall are being identified. Dried-up trees, dead trees and trees leaning to one side are being enumerated across the circles.
“The process of identification is still on. We have not yet finalised any decision on the measures to be taken,” Mr.Rose said.
Felling of trees would need the Forest department’s permission while the translocation may be done without the permission.
Environmentalists, however, call it a knee-jerk reaction, and point to the high possibility of healthy trees getting removed in the bargain.
“We have seen how commercial establishments are felling trees left, right and centre for the simple reason that they are blocking the building facade. GHMC’s decision gives them ample opportunity to get rid of the unwanted trees,” fumes P. Uday Krishna, from Vata Foundation. He also questions how the corporation could identify all the trees within three days.
There are three major reasons for tree falls within the city — wrong location, uneven pruning, and cementing at the base. Trees stuck between roads and buildings have no scope to grow evenly. Unscientific pruning by the power distribution companies adds to the imbalance, throwing all the canopy weight to one side.
Concretisation of the base has two disadvantages– lack of moisture penetration which dries up the roots, and restriction of trunk girth in the cemented region.
“The tree grows above the base, but the cemented portion remains thin, eventually resulting in breakage,” Mr.Uday Krishna explains.
If the GHMC authorities are serious about preventing tree falls, they should conduct a scientific tree census noting down the species and reasons for the vulnerability, and correct them, he says.
“Even after that, if they feel some trees need to be removed, they should mark them up prominently, so that the process is transparent, and people can raise objections if they find some mischief,” Mr.Uday Krishna says.
