City’s unsustainable greenery taking human lives

A tree brought down by the recent strong winds and rains at Lakdi-Ka-Pul in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: File photo

Wednesday’s tree fall in Saidabad which killed a man and severely injured another is the third in a series of such incidents following wet weather in the city.

In July this year, a 65-year-old person died in Shah Ali Banda after a tree got uprooted due to windy weather, and fell on him. Another biker was injured in the incident.

Two months before that, in May, another two-wheeler borne person was killed due to tree fall in Bolarum area of Secunderabad, when he was visiting the hospital along with his wife, who escaped with injuries.

In a separate incident during the same month, two persons riding motor cycle were killed in similar incident at Keesara. More than a year ago, in September, an auto driver died after a tree near Hyderguda got uprooted and fell on his vehicle.

All these incidents point to the unsustainable nature of the city’s greenery, due to rampant concretisation of roads, footpaths and other public spaces. Excessive pruning resulting in canopy imbalance, suffocation of the root system due to concretisation of the base are found to be the causes for the rampant destruction of avenue plantation in the city. However, the issue remains unresolved despite successive incidents.

After successive incidents in May this year, it was proposed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to enumerate the dead, damaged and dangerous trees in the city, and either remove, relocate or correct them. About 800 trees were enumerated by the Urban Biodiversity wing as needing to be fixed.

However, removal of the dead trees has not yet been completed. The tree that fell on Wednesday killing a man, was of neem species and in the process of dying, officials informed.

“We have done several corrections where there is chance for revival of the trees. Also we have given instructions to the Zonal Commissioners to remove the dead and hollow trees as and when they are found, and it is being done,” said N. Sunandana Rani, Chief Horticulture Officer, GHMC.

Additional Commissioner, UBD, S. Pankaja, said another intensive drive will be taken up to remove the dead trees.