If all goes as per the plans of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), citizens of Bengaluru may have an accurate picture of the green cover in the city. After a delay of over three years, the civic body is finally preparing to conduct the first tree survey of Bengaluru.
As of now, there is no estimate of the number of trees in the city. With incessant, unauthorised felling of trees and loss of trees during monsoons, there has been a demand for a tree census from various quarters.
The decision to take up such a survey was taken in 2015 with the palike setting aside ₹4 crore for the same. However, there were several hiccups and the project never took off. Now, BBMP officials hope to make progress with the survey before the end of this year. The civic agency has already conducted one meeting with experts and will be holding another with the Forest Department in the next week, officials said.
Cholarajappa, DCFO, BBMP, said, “During monsoon, we see a lot of trees and branches falling. We are planning to identify trees that are diseased, or likely to fall, posing a risk to life and property. Every year, we are losing trees and, hence, we want to start the process immediately. We want to come up with a ready reckoner for trees in the city.”
Environmentalists like Vijay Nishant said it was ‘high time’ that the survey is conducted. However, staff shortage would be a constraint, he said, urging officials to tie up with activists willing to take part in the survey to overcome this problem. He added that the civic body also needs to set up a tree committee, which has been in the pipeline for three years.
Harini Nagendra, Professor of Sustainability, Azim Premji University, said the BBMP can also rope in students for the census. “A tree survey is essential to take up any action for conservation. It would be ideal if the BBMP can involve multiple groups. It should be done in such a way that it involves local communities. For instance, local schools or colleges can be involved. The students will have a stake in the area,” she said.
‘Please plant saplings’
BBMP officials have requested citizens to plant saplings this monsoon, making use of the free saplings service announced by the civic body last year.
In 2017, the BBMP launched the ‘Green App’ through which people could order saplings for free. There were nine lakh saplings on offer, out of which residents of the city made use of close to 3 lakh, according to officials.
