The sudden rains that lashed the city last week spelled doom for many trees in the city, as they keeled over from the pressure of the winds.
This could have been avoided if there was systematic management and aftercare of trees in the city, say activists.
Shobha Menon, of the NGO Nizhal, believes that better management can reduce the number of trees falling. She says the focus should be on aftercare of the planted trees and their scientific management.
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“We should move away from large-scale planting, although that is good too. What is important is how these trees that are planted are looked after. Pruning of trees by experts is crucial to their health,” she says.
Last month, the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal directed the Chennai Corporation to remove concrete laid around trees.
The counsel for the petitioner said, “Percolation of water and healthy growth of trees is restricted when concrete and tar are laid too close to the trees. There should be a space of at least one metre around trees for them to breathe and grow.”
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A senior Corporation official said efforts have already been made to remove the concrete surrounding trees in the city. Nizhal, which is conducting a pilot project of mapping trees at ward no. 176 of zone 13, will help facilitate the Corporation’s efforts to enumerate trees in all 200 wards.
An earlier effort to enumerate the city’s tree cover focussed on educational institutions and some wards. According to project coordinator D. Narasimhan, associate professor of Madras Christian College, the results will be compiled and the findings published soon.
There are several cases of residents of apartment complexes at loggerheads with each other over the felling of trees in their compounds, often for trivial reasons and taboos associated with certain trees, Ms. Menon said. Things might change if a Tree Act was in place, she added.