MUMBAI:
If you think taking cover under a tree during heavy rain is a good idea, think again. In the past six days, five people have died after trees fell on them.
A tree fell on two houses at Kalyan.
Around 350 dead trees that endanger lives are yet to be hacked by the civic body.
According to the gardens department, in the past five months, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) inspected more than 1 lakh trees, of which 812 were found to be dead. While 443 of these trees have been hacked, the BMC is yet to remove the rest of them. The highest number of dead trees (96) is in Santacruz and Bandra (East).
Experts claim the BMC is to be blamed for the death and falling of trees. The roots of most of the trees have been weakened because of concretisation of the base, they allege.
In January, the National Green Tribunal ( NGT) had ordered t he civic body to remove the cement concrete from near the base of trees in three months. However, the drive undertaken by the BMC is going at a snail’s pace.
Stalin Dayanand, project director of NGO Vanshakti, who had filed the petition in NGT, said, “The roots need soil to hold the surface. The concretised base has weakened the roots, which is leading to more and more tree collapses.”
“The best example is Marine Drive. There are many trees with enough space for its roots. So there are very few incidents of tree fall in the area, despite heavy rain and strong wind. The NGT has asked the civic body to submit a compliance report on the work next month,” he said.
The gardens department, meanwhile, f eels t he road department is to be blamed. “We have sent several letters to the road department, but their response has been poor. In the past one year, the road department has carried out work on several roads and footpaths, ignoring our warning,” said Vijay Hire, superintendent of garden.
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