Bangalore does not even have half a tree per citizen, say researchers mapping the city’s green cover. Barring four wards in the outskirts, most of the wards in the city lack greenery.
This, together with a 584 per cent growth in built-up area, a 66 per cent decline in vegetation and 74 per cent reduction in water bodies, spells serious trouble for everyone.
If Bangalore needed anymore warning that it is on the way to entirely losing its Garden City tag, it has received it from the latest survey of the city’s vanishing tree cover conducted by the Indian Institute of Science.
Here are some shockers: The city has not more than 15 lakh trees left, and while in the 1970s 70 per cent of its geographical area had tree cover, today this is down to 20 per cent.
And only four wards— three of which are on the city’s outskirts— have an adequate number of trees.
Even more worryingly, the land use analysis has revealed a 584 per cent growth in built-up area, a 66 per cent decline in vegetation and 74 per cent reduction in water bodies over the past four decades.
Researchers of the IISc’s Centre for Ecological Science, who plan to submit their report to the state government in mid- January, have no doubt the mindless development the city has seen over the last decade is to blame for its deteriorating environment and are calling for urgent measures to reverse this trend.
“The tree mapping is being done using remote sensing data. The results are shocking.
Many urban centres across the world have grown in terms of population and number of vehicles, but have been able to maintain their green cover.
Bangalore has, however, lost most of its lung space. It’s time the authorities woke up to the problem and treated it with some urgency to prevent further ecological degradation of the city,” said one of the researchers, explaining that mapping of trees was done for all the 198 wards of Bangalore.
To stem further degradation of the environment, he suggests that every waÂrd allocate space for green cover and plant native tree species. “The government must also make it mandatory for lake catchments to have additional green cover,” he stresses.
Noted environmentalist, Suresh Heblikar, too points out that development of a city does not necessarily have to be at the cost of its green cover.
“Look at any major metropolitan city in the world. Cities like London, Paris and New York have maintained their eco-systems despite their large urban sprawl. These metros have major rivers flowing throÂugh them, but Bangalore does not have this luxury. Saving waterbodies and green cover must be a priority,” he emphasises, worried like many others about the downhill spiral of the city’s once lush greenery.
Intelligent planning can save Bangalore's green cover
Leo F. Saldanha, Coordinator, Environment Support Group
The city’s fast dwindling green cover should be a matter of concern for everyone.
It is not just about loss of trees, but also the undergrowth that is a wildlife habitat and forms crucial corridors for migration.
Besides, green cover is critical for protecting watersheds and recharÂging ground water aquifers which support half the city’s drinking water needs. Green cover also shelters the city from heat and dust.
A healthy green cover in highly built neighbourhoods can bring down the heat island factor by several degrees, avoiding unnecessary investment in cooling.
Rather than working with the natural advantage that Bangalore’s weather patterns provide, most new buildings are clad in glass and metal which trap heat and demand induction of AC systems that are water and energy guzzlers.
Developing cities in this manner induces several injustices as the price is paid by rural and forest dwelling communities, who are displaced recklessly. All this is avoidable if architects and planners develop buildings with sensitivity providing a high possibility of interaction with greenery and green spaces.
Most corporate houses, middle class and high-end housing and apartments have tacky greenery such as lawns that have no ecological value.
Bangalore is one of the very few cities in the world which does not become too cold or too hot.
A way to keep it cool and also make it look cool aesthetically is to protect old trees and shrubs and plant new ones that are endemic, low maintenance and useful locally, such as fruit trees that provide nutrition and help bird and insect life. Every neighbourhood and building can become a green space if this is done.
One of the biggest disasters repeatedly opted for by our city administrators is widening of roads. Not only does this not solve the traffic problem, but also worsens congestion. This comes at the cost of losing trees that have been carefully planted and nurtured over decades.
If everyone who builds decides to think of their role in making the city green, plenty can be done in a few years.
And if we can aggressively move towards creating cycling and walking lanes on every street, it will mean more space for public transport. The city then becomes functional and useful for almost everyone.
All it requires is intelligent thinking, sensitive planning and a willingness to truly work for everyone’s benefits.
Why no campaigns on tree planting in the city?
Four years ago the BBMP removed almost every tree on a stretch of Mysore Road to widen it, but today it as choc-a bloc with traffic as before.
Sadly, such thoughtless axing of trees in the name of development has cost the city nearly 18% of its green cover in the last 6 years alone.
The last decade has seen even more destruction as Bangalore, which had 28,959 hectares of vegetation in 2002, has less than 17,000 hectaÂres today.
And environmentalists fear the city could lose another 5,000 hectares of green cover if development projects in the pipeline for the next 3 years take off as planned.
Worried by the BBMP’s disregard for the city’s green cover, they say tree felling has increased after it took over the management of urban trees and lakes from the forest department and accuÂse it of not doing enouÂgh to restore the lost greenery either. “Why are there no campaiÂgns on tree planting?”
And even the trees that have been planted on the roadside of late are more ornameÂntal in nature when we need native tree speÂcies which can withstand high winds,” says an environmentalist.
Biodiversity expert Harish R. Bhat, suggests that each ward must reserve 20% area for planting of native species of trees to overcome the present crisis.
“The government has often talked about creating tree parks, but they are still hard to find,” he regrets, largely blaming poor maintenance of trees for this state of affairs.
