Designed to kill: Trees versus development

For sustainability and natural balance of the eco-system, forest cover of one-third of land area is considered desirable.

In pre-independent India, green cover was in the vicinity of about 40%. Today, we have depleted it to nearly 23%, most of it under the pretext of development and mainly to cater to ever increasing consumerism. As per quick estimate, human habitation over the globe account for only 6% of surface. The scary part is that even with only 6% space occupied for habitation, we feel the pinch of resource scarcity. It implies that we have perhaps consumed the resources of remaining 94% for sustenance of the six.

In the recent Forest Survey of India, Gujarat's green cover has declined by 554 sq km (22,456 sq km against 23,010 sq km in 2009). Ironically and alarmingly, most of it is outside forest reserves and sanctuaries. The forest cover within sanctuaries and protected area recorded a nominal decline of just one sq km while trees outside the forest area recorded a decrease of 553 sq km. This partly has been attributed to the voluntary cutting of Gando baval (prosopis juliflora) in several parts of the state, but largely also has to do with felling of trees for development projects.

For road-widening project on Ahmedabad-Nalsarovar Road, the forest department had given permission to cut over 2,500 trees. Ahmedabad city, which is rapidly turning into a concrete jungle, needs around 24 lakh trees to get 15% green cover. A nearly five-year-old survey indicates that city has about 3.5 lakh trees. Vatva takes the lead with 21.7% green cover in the city, while Khadia was at the bottom with only 0.13% green cover.

AMC in last five years has planted nearly 11.50 lakh trees covering 142 species. Neem, of course, remains the most dominating species. It is not that urban areas, population densities and development means tree cover must be sacrificed.

Over 22% of Delhi's land area is today covered by forests. In fact in last ten years, forest cover of the national capital has expanded by more than 1,500%, leading to expansion of environment's capacity to safely absorb greenhouse gases and assure minimal damage to air quality. New Delhi's Greening programme is considered to be one of the largest city greening exercises undertaken anywhere in the world.

In Mumbai, there is just one tree breathing out oxygen for every six persons in the city. New York, on the contrary, has an average five trees per person and manages to maintain its green lungs despite having more high-rises than Mumbai.

Development and mass construction cannot be denied in growing centres and its resulting pressure is on the environment. Sympathetic understanding about the issue can evolve solutions to balance both pans. However, some of the current development attitudes indicate the opposite. In fact, it almost indicates, perhaps, towards the planned strategy to smartly (dumbly) remove nature as impediment to perceived development.

For example, road-widening takes one of the largest tolls on urban green in a public domain. Road alignments get driven geometrically rather than ground realities and site situation. It lacks the flexibility to meander and realign in order to save the existing large trees along the pre-determined path.

As laws and often public sentiments do not permit blatant cutting of full grown trees within widened strips of roads, there are mean tactics being applied for so called retention of trees for immediate impressions, but strategically ensuring that it dies naturally in a very short time.

Large full grown trees, if not felled, are trapped in the middle of road, curb or footpath with concrete and tar surfacing edging entire trunk perimeter. Trees suffocate as if mummified in the concrete/asphalt mass.

Unable to breathe, deprived of water and earth-patch, trees succumb to neglect and man-made traps. This validates the reason to remove dead trees and resurface the road with widened unobstructed flange.

Thus, it appears to be the design to kill an existing tree on an unwanted location without feeling the guilt or appearing to be a murderer.
    pandyatin@hotmail.com