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Plan to make city greener may be a waste: Tree lovers ……..Mansi Choksi I TNN
Mumbai: Even as the civic body is getting ready to distribute saplings with the first showers of monsoons expected by early June, tree lovers are concerned that the BMC efforts to make the city greener may be mere tokenism. The saplings, which are given away at a nominal cost of Re 1 to Rs 5, are normally distributed around 10 days after the first showers.
Dr Nilesh Baxi, nominated member of the BMC’s Tree Authority,said,around 95% of the saplings that are planted as part of the civic body’s drive to make the city greener do not eventually survive.
“Every year, the BMC distributes saplings with great gusto but at the end of the day, it ends up being a waste of effort. This is because the saplings are very young and have very poor survival chances,’’ said Baxi.
He added that it had been suggested to the municipal commissioner,in a meeting of the Tree Authority held two months ago, that a system of tree banking should be developed.“Saplings should be matured at nurseries and then planted. The BMC should charge a little extra to account for the fertiliser cost. This way, they can ensure that the saplings eventually grow into trees,’’ said Baxi, adding that the municipal commissioner had given the suggestion a nod. “Implementation is a far cry,’’ said Baxi.
Member of NGO I Love Mumbai Niranjan Shetty was optimistic that by the next monsoons, there would be tree banks across the city. “We will see to it that it happens. The BMC can make use of the open spaces and can also earn extra revenue by selling the mature saplings at a slightly higher rate,’’ he said. Naturalist Dr Ashok Kothari said that saplings should not be distributed until they are at least two years old and three feet tall.
“Before saplings are distributed, people should be educated about the varieties of trees they choose to plant,’’ Kothari said, adding that opting for exotic trees like Rain tree, Gulmohar and Nilgiri was not practical as they are large and tough to maintain. “These may be popular but exotic trees destroy drainage lines and sometimes even pose security hazards,’’ said Kothari.
Kothari said India was second to Brazil for having the greatest varieties of trees and there were numerous options from Indian varieties like Bakul, Jamun, Neem, Kadam and Champa, some of which having medicinal values, required less attention. “After the tree is adopted and is looked after for two dry seasons, the tree can survive without any maintenance,’’ said Kothari. “Many people now don’t go for Peltoforum trees because they attract many birds,’’ he said.
Nandkumar Naik, from Friends of Trees, said there should more focus on accountability after the tree is planted. “Our organisation will distribute saplings and keep a record of who is looking after them and then assess the growth of the trees,’’ said Naik.
Activist Bhaskar Prabhu, who has filed numerous RTIs with the Tree Authority, said the body had no record of the number of saplings distributed or the details on the location of plantation and maintenance. “Once the sapling is sold, nothing is done by the BMC to ensure they grow into trees,’’ said Shetty.
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