Before Vardah, our locality had 200 trees. Twenty of them were uprooted when the cyclone hit the city,” says M. Ravi, secretary, Sri Sarvamangala Nagar Residents Association (SSMNRA).
This number does not give an accurate picture of the damage done to the neighbourhood. The trees that were felled by Vardah included Banyan and gulmohar trees that had spread their arms wide, providing residents protection against the fiery darts of the sun during summer.
Residents of the locality seem determined to turn things around by planting as many trees as possible, and the number of new trees is expected to surpass the number of lost trees by a long chalk.
Not only that, they will be making the most of the situation by planting a wide variety of indigenous tree species as well as herbal plants. “We will plant fruit-bearing saplings on the islets (masses of mud) in Sembakkam lake with the objective of attracting more birds to the waterbody. Many of the trees on the islets were damaged in the fury of Vardah,” says Ravi. It may be noted that recently, with the help of Prapancha Anmeega Ariviyal Matrum Siddhargal Mooligai Virutcha Maiyyam (in Nungambakkam), the Association planted herbal saplings, including ‘Mantharai’, ‘Marutham’, ‘Shenbagam’, ‘Nelli’, ‘Vilvam’, ‘Malai Vembu’, ‘Semmaram’, ‘Nagalingam’, and ‘Magizham’ at the park in Sri Sarvamangala Nagar. “We will carry out the tree planting exercise in phases. The newly planted saplings will be provided with tree guards,” says K. Ramakrishna, executive committee member, SSMNRA.
“We will request residents to take care of the planted saplings by watering them every day,” says Ravi.
Chitlapakkam (which Sri Sarvamangala Nagar is part of) lost 35 per cent of its green cover. Much of the damage happened on Babu Street and Anna Street. Ramakrishna can be reached at 9444991380.
