Dr Pheroza J Godrej dons many hats with elan. She is an art historian, art collector, editor and custodian of the Godrej family and business archives. And throughout her life, she has been a green warrior and activist. The President of The National Society of the Friends of the Trees talks to DNA on her concerns for and efforts of restoring Mumbai’s green cover.

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When did Mumbai’s green cover begin depleting alarmingly?

In the last 15 years, the decline has become noticeable. Trees that were 40-50 years old, and had another 30 years of life span left, have been felled for development. The newer plantations, about 20-25 years old, haven’t got a chance to survive. The situation is depressing. In the foreword to the book Rani Bagh 150 Years, former BMC commissioner DM Sukthankar, writes that Mumbai has the lowest open space to population ratio in the world: a mere 0.03 acre per 1,000 persons against the international norm of 4 acres per 1,000 people. The city’s obsession with highrises has put pressure on the land. One also doesn’t know how the terrace gardens at skyscrapers are faring. They are now considered Mumbai’s green lungs. Sadly, people are not thinking about the future.

What were the challenges in restoring greenery?

Every state has a vanamahotsav at the onset of monsoon. We at Friends of Trees (FoT) have planted more than a lakh saplings, and follow up regularly. In Mumbai though we haven’t had a good success rate. You have to take care of the plants for at least eight years. We have seen a better success rate in villages and mofussil areas like Palghar and Wada. Maintaining trees has a lot to do with education and awareness.

How do you view the ‘development vs environment’ discourse playing out in Mumbai?

We need development but do you realise the tremendous delay in implementing infrastructural projects? All my life, I have been hearing about the coastal road development. Meanwhile, open spaces demarcated for these projects have been encroached upon, as authorities turn a blind eye. Then suddenly, authorities wake up to undertake demolition drives and cut trees. Thanks to citizens’ initiatives, the city still has some green patches. For instance, citizens have nurtured Colaba Woods and the trees at one end of Colaba. But the open spaces at Cuff Parade area have turned into slums. There are so many instances like Aarey Milk Colony, BKC. The government makes noise about being strict about encroachment, but it will allow these tenements to proliferate because of vote-bank politics.

Could you tell us about your green initiatives.

I have been a part of institutions like Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). Its centre for conservation cell near Sanjay Gandhi National Park conducts nature trails for the public through the year. FoT also undertakes similar initiatives. For instances, we’ll be making a trip to Tadoba Tiger Reserve with 20-25 people May-end to raise awareness on nature and conservation. We encourage housing societies to approach us for saplings. I also help the Rotary Club with its green initiatives and clean energy drives. The Godrej Tree Bank supplies saplings to the club. 

Early July every year, we give away saplings to nature groups, housing societies and offices. Last year, I went to Palghar to encourage people to plant trees. We have promised the people of Palghar and Wada that we will come to them for the next three years. We often team up with colleges for the seminars. This year, we will conduct a seminar at Bhavan’s College on forests and climate change, involving scientists and students. When we are called upon to save trees in any part of the city, we encourage our members to immediately respond. FoT have a strong presence on social media, thanks to our 1,300 members in Maharashtra.