And now it's `Down with trees!'

And now it's `Down with trees!'

PRAKASH BELAWADI
The Hindu

Did you know that the Mahanagara Palike is sitting on a 100-page report that deals explicitly with why trees fall and what should be done to prevent it?


Some of you have already thought of it yourselves, or it has been put to you by family members and friendly neighbours: "Why don't you chop those overhanging branches off your tree?" It seems trees don't belong to man's best friends category any longer. Summer showers don't signify the romance of April rain now. They invoke a newfound terror of falling trees.

If you have ever been involved in an argument with animal lovers on man's other best friend, it would have concluded on a similar summary poser: in a situation where you had to choose between the life of a dog and that of a human, what would you do? The morality of an answer there is meaningless, the laws are made humans to protect human lives and nobody goes to prison for killing or maiming a street dog. So, the municipal officials are hounded by indignant dog haters to get rid of the mongrels.

The municipal officials are now likely to be told to get rid of the bloody trees, at least those branches hanging overhead like you know what. The trees have it a little better than stray dogs, because nobody can chop them off without doing offence to the law, unless they happen to be municipal officials themselves or persons high and mighty who know municipal officials very well.

One could even feel sorry for Bangalore Mahanagara Palike but for some telling lapses. Did you know that the Palike is sitting on a 100-page report that deals explicitly with why trees fall and what should be done to prevent it? Oh, yes. It is a report penned by a body of experts, headed by environmentalist A.N. Yellappa Reddy, and submitted to the Mayor in October 2004.

`Injured trees'


Dr. Reddy, himself a passionate advocate of ecological sensibilities, expresses helplessness at the condition of the trees of Bangalore. "You know, it is hard to come by a tree in Bangalore that is not injured and bleeding," he says. "There are people in this city who, to improve the elevation view of their homes, deliberately remove the bark from trees so that they die."

Just like it happens with humans, trees apparently have most of their protection in their skin — bark, if you want to be particular. So, when they drive in nails to hang up advertisements or peel off the bark in the pursuit of narcissistic home architecture, pathogenic spores get inside the heart of the wood and eat it up. The trees become hollow and weak.

There are some 50-odd recommendations that the experts of the committee have given to the Palike to address the issue of ageing, rotting and falling trees. The committee, constituted by the Palike's proactive former commissioner M.R. Sreenivasa Murthy, had among its members soil scientists, plant physiologists, plant pathologists, entomologists and other experts. "We spoke to all stakeholders — like Bescom and BSNL who need to prune trees and dig trenches. We spoke to NGOs, in fact everyone who manages trees or damages them before making the recommendations," Dr. Reddy says.

So what happened? "So far nothing that I'm aware of," he adds. The pity is that the Palike and its brother know that the trees have been falling during the rains for a few years now. There were a few casualties last year too. The enthusiasm that the Palike officials show towards chopping trees to widen the roads or make way for the magic Metro is puzzling when it sits on a report given by its own chosen experts.

The Palike should perhaps do us a favour and publish the report so that nervous individuals who wish to pick up the axe themselves will at least know the simple dos and don'ts of chopping trees. "In fact, the contractors who are chosen by the service providers of the city should go through an awareness programme so that they cause minimal damage to the trees," Dr. Reddy offers.

The recommendations he gives seem absurdly simple. Here's one: "Have you seen the way footpaths are completely sealed off? If water cannot seep in, the roots become dehydrated and lose anchorage. There should be space left around the tree for water to get to the roots, or better still, a small depression should be made around the tree for rain water to collect."

Another one: "When trees are pruned, the cutting should be done in such a way that the tree does not become overbalanced on one side. The tree surgery should be managed in such a way as to keep canopy balance." The report apparently has detailed recommendations on what species are ideal for Bangalore's soil, what precautions need to be taken to protect the trees from damage and catastrophic fall...

Man vs. tree


To return to the poser, man vs. tree — man or tree: there are those that feel, like Aurobindo, that a tree symbolises the human yearning for the ideal: "Earth bound, heaven amorous." Others probably feel, while agreeing on the whole about the ideal world and all, "we should chop the damn things before they fall on my car". I say if you are so worried about your life, wait inside your office till the rain stops. If you are already on the road, stop somewhere on the road where there is no shade. You will soon have your way, anyway, for there won't be much left. Shade, I mean.

Email your feedback to prakash@cfdbangalore.ac.in