Bengaluru: Pre-monsoon rains that tested city's fragile infrastructure took away 300 trees in May. Figures accessed from the BBMP control room state that as many as 280 trees fell between May 20 and May 31. Of them, 117 trees and branches fell on a single day on May 20. For your information, southwest monsoon just entered Karnataka on Wednesday.
Every rainy season, hundreds of trees fall, creating havoc in Bengaluru. They fall on power lines, disrupt power supply, plunge areas into darkness for hours and disrupt traffic. They damage cars, bikes, buildings and roads. While the city is losing many full-grown trees to various infrastructure projects, even natural causes like rains take away many trees, leading to the question as to why trees get uprooted whenever it rains in the city.
Bengaluru's tree doctor Vijay Nishanth said that unscientific pruning and lack of care towards trees are the main reasons for this.
An urban conservationist, striving to improve the green cover in the city, he said, “Tree trimming by civic agencies is not done scientifically. Their only goal is to chop off the part which is in conflict with power lines. This shifts the centre of gravity of trees, and they fall whenever there is heavy rain accompanied by strong winds.”
For one or the other reason, roads and spaces are dug up. It is done in such a way that roots are damaged and trees weakened. Further, asphalting of roads and concreting of footpaths, without giving any space, choke the trees and deprive them of water and necessary nutrient supply, he explained.
Stressing on the need for a tree census and a scientific approach to prevent falling of trees, he said,
“The BBMP should opt for sonic tomograph machines to investigate the internal condition of trees, identify weak ones and pull them down. Each machine costs roughly around Rs 15 lakh and it is worth the investment. If such investments are made along with the tree census, officials looting crores by submitting fake bills on the number of saplings planted and cost to take care of them will be reduced.”
Monsoon Misery
Pre-monsoon rains claimed over 300 trees in the city in May. This even before the monsoon set in. Incidentally, the southwest monsoon entered the state on Wednesday A number of trees fall whenever rain is accompanied by strong winds
Unscientific pruning, concretising pavements without providing space for trees, lack of care and pollution are the main reasons for trees to fall
Tree doctor Vijay Nishanth bats for sonic tomograph machines to investigate the internal condition of trees and bring down weak ones
