Bring back Bangalores green cover

Bring back Bangalores green cover
Madhumitha B

A marathon to save trees is not about people running around the City, instead it is about people picking up their sickles and spades to plant more saplings and working towards restoring Bangalore’s green spaces, says environmentalist Suresh Heblikar.
This World Environment Day (June 5), it’s time we pledged to give back to Bangalore, the glory the City once revelled in. If your argument is that development has to come at a cost, then environmentalists have an answer to that: “Infrastructure projects in the City can definitely be worked out differently. The government must consult environmentalists and ecologists on various aspects before bringing down a tree of converting a lake bed into a housing society. If these projects are allowed to run by the engineers who have no knowledge about environment, the City will continue to suffer the loss of greenery,” says Sunil Kumar M, a naturalist.
“What we need to worry about is the loss of green patches on the outskirts of the City where, many years back, we had villages and good vegetation. Bangalore had several acres of forest land around the borders that actually took care of the City’s environment.
“Trees within the City have always been felled but taking away forest land is a bigger issue that we need to worry about. It will only lead to more problems in the City. Floods, rise in temperature and shortage of water are just some of the common problems we face on a daily basis. How come floods never existed about 15 years back when the City witnessed more rains than it does today? These are, in itself reason enough for the government to sit up and think about some serious solutions,” says Suresh Heblikar.
Bangalore that was...
Reminiscing the days of good ol’ Bangalore, Suresh Heblikar shares his experiences of a place that was truly a Garden City. “Watching flocks of birds near lakes and riding on a road with trees on either sides was like beautiful poetry. I have vivid memories of Kanakapura, Sarjapur and Bannerghatta Road that was once the lung spaces of the City but are now mere concrete jungles. Gone are the days when we enjoyed every drop of rain or sat to watch the swaying of trees to strong, pure wind. We need to bring them back.”
Plausible solutions
Destruction is inevitable, if corrective measures aren’t taken immediately. Planting more trees and relocating felled trees is one aspect of the issue but more needs to be done. According to Suresh and Sunil, involving environmentalists and ecologists in infrastructure projects is the most important aspect.
“Government is a major player in this issue and it’s time it listened to saner voices. Afforest valleys and restore every single lake and river in the City and State. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) acquires a lot of land through their demolition drive. This, they should convert into urban forests and create a green belt around the City. Hundred acres of urban forest can generate one billion litres of undreground water. By increasing the green patches, we are progressing towards a better life,” says Suresh.
Reiterating on restoration of lakes, Sunil adds that it must be done properly. “The restoration that Lake Development Authority undertakes does not serve the purpose of creating a better environment. There is no nesting space and no food for birds. It’s a mere engineering solution and not one that has the ecology in mind.”
Experts claim that all hope is not lost yet. But if the government does not wake up to the problem and find alternate solutions, the City will soon be everything but the Garden City it is meant to be, they say.