Bangalore losing all its greenery. Can we save it ?

Bangalore losing all its greenery. Can we save it ?

Bangalore was the city of lush greenery. Ask any Banglorean about the trees on either side of most of the roads in Bangalore, a decade ago. They would probably shed tears of blood today at the axing of numerous trees all over the city to make way for the modern infrastructure. This cosmopolitan city, was once naturally air conditioned, having pleasant weather throughout the year, basically because of its greenery and color - the city has a new color every month. The pleasant weather which gave the people a "lay back" attitude was dubbed as the city for retirees. However today it is the hub for all the activity happening in the Country. Today Bangalore is one of the most after cities in the World.

But at what cost? People living in areas around Jayanagar, Sampige and Margosa Roads in Malleshwaram are bearing the brunt of this "murder" of large trees in the name of Infrastructure. While we do understand the importance of Infrastructure and support all the efforts of the Government, we are at the same time concerned at the axing of the trees resulting in our "Bengalooru" losing all the originality of "Garden City”

While trees are axed at one part of the City to make way for new roads, subways, Highways, Skyways, the existing trees which have still not come under the radar of the authorities are either dying a natural death for lack of care or used as Sign posts to attract business. Our freelance writer Rajesh Dangi brings to light the "near death" status of trees in Bangalore and suggests ways to save Bangalore's Green Cover.

Who care’s there are still lot many trees around!! This seems be the attitude of people and administration when you see diminishing garden city. Yes, the word ‘diminishing’ is used categorically to instate the alarming situation.

It has become a normal sight to see trees being cut, uprooted or falling victim to termite attacks and no one seems to care about them. Large termite attacks, cutting off branches, cutting off the full grown trees on roads and public area’s, uprooting for basement constructions, and umpteenth number of advertisements nailed on the trees for PG accommodations, call taxies etc. Heart broken, I felt like an important organ of the city being amputed!!

I heard there are many measures forest departments’ takes which have dedicated officers to conserve the green wealth in far flung forest areas. I think their presence in governance in cities is now becoming essential as it make more sense to monitor the green public wealth.

Few regulations/things which should be immediately enforced and implemented are.

1. Conduct tree census and index each and every tree on public and private land and should be duly marked on current and future Development plans.
2. All trees should be protected like endangered species and prohibit cutting, trimming activities anywhere in the city jurisdiction.
3. Before approving any construction plans a forest department NOC should be mandated, any vacant land which has trees older than 5+ years must modify the designs to protect the current trees.
4. All trees on the roads must be monitored at least on monthly basis to protect them from termite and human attacks such as nailing posters and advertisements.
5. Any tree cutting should require approval from CM’s office under an affidavit notified via magistrate after obtaining forest department NOC. More importantly this notification for cutting should be advertised to invite objections from public if this tree is on public land.
6. All offences on trees should be treated at par with humans and major punishments like imprisonment with fat fines…the amount collected should e used to enhance monitoring. Reporting any such offence via citizens should be rewarded 50% of the fine collected. A ‘tree helpline’ should be constituted and publicized. Even police have to support such called received on the number 100
7. A city tax should be levied on all properties which do not have earmarked space for trees within the premise for sites which are more than 40x60 in dimension; all smaller sites should have a reservation for one vacant space on the same road against 10 houses sold.
8. All current tree conservationists who have five or more trees in their premise aging more than 10 years should get 10% tax rebate and support for monitoring them.
9. All apartments should have provided for one tree per resident duly maintain by the resident. Most enemies of trees are car park requirements, thus all residential sanctions must include / insist on design incorporating stilt car park, be it a independent house or an apartment.
10. All localities should form a tree committee and govern the trees and coordinate with forest department to help conserve them, best committees should be rewarded with tax rebates for entire neighborhood…
11. All advertisements, cables put/pulled on/upon the trees should be removed and any deviations should be reported via a toll free tree helpline or dedicated website.
12. All defaulters should be deprived of any government benefits or rebates, even business houses who only promote decorative plants and lawn should not be exempted if they don’t support big trees and include afforestation in their corporate objectives in their premised where they operate.
13. Large urbanization projects should provide for budgets for relocation of trees if coming in way and ensure proper technologies are in place to safeguard the wellbeing of each individual tree being moved or relocated.
14. Each corporate house should get free advertisement rights on road they would adopt in conservation of trees.
15. All advertisement holdings should be removed if they cause any disturbance on growth of any tree directly or indirectly.

Perhaps these measures could help us sustain this green wealth and help restore the loss already causes to this beautiful city….

We would like to know what you think should be done to protect our greenery and probably restore some of the lost greenery.

Indian environmentalist from the state of Karnataka.

To be in Karnataka's countryside is to be among a gentle people in a cared for land. Unhurried gaits, unfailing courtesy and old world ways are the norm. But are you to be served with magic too? Yes, at least on a 4 km road between Kudur and Hulikal.

Towering avenue trees flank this quiet road. There is a riot up there, of fearless birds drunk on juicy fruits - their screech is delightfully unbearable. The road is gummy with fallen figs. A cyclist pedals on under a shade that makes it nearly dark at noon. Off road, crisp leaves slosh about your calves even as a breeze is steadily blowing them off to nearby fields of rice, wherein to crumble and enrich. In just one stretch of a modern road, nature stages her perennial play, in which trees plug into the sun, drop their produce and the land absorbs the gift and feeds the people. Thimmakka is only now aware of the parts her 'children' are playing in it.

Response? Positive action!:

"Your children are who will remember you lived." So goes an abiding myth. In India the hold of this myth is so strong that couples without children are seen to be accursed. A woman who cannot bear children is presumed to have no life. It is this myth that Thimmakka has mocked.

She was born in the town of Gubbi 75 years ago and as a very young girl, married off to Chikkanna of Hulikal village. They were landless labourers. As years rolled by, it became clear that the young couple were not destined for parenthood. To this lack was added Chikkanna's stammer: it earned him the nick-name, 'Bikkulu' Chikkanna. The life of landless labourers was hard enough; the other circumstances rendered them objects of derision.

Today, sitting in her clean little house, Thimmakka reminisces: "Our evenings were lonely. But he was a kindly man. There were pressures on him to seek another wife but he refused. He kept thinking of 'something to do' with our life."

One day 45 years ago, Chikkanna and Thimmakka simply decided to plant trees. Nothing unusual about that, except unlike most of us who plant them in our gardens, this couple chose to line the dusty road between Hulikal and nearby Kudur with their trees. That is a 4 km stretch. "It was a dry, hot road. Our villagers *had* to go to Kudur frequently - and dreaded it. So we thought it would be nice if trees came up and shaded the way," she says.

They began, quietly; just the two of them. They selected the peepul [ficus religiosa] exclusively, and raised baby trees in a tiny nursery. And then off they went to plant them. [Incidentally, their foresight of planting them far apart across the road but close between in the rows is amazing; today you can lay a highway between the columns without having to cut a single tree!]

Chikkanna then built thorn guards around their little wards. The plants had to be watered everyday till they established, then, every three days for an year and later every week until they were 10 years old. Every morning they would set out, Thimmakka with a pot on her head and another on a hip and Chikkanna's load of two pots hanging from the ends of a pole over his shoulder. They refilled the pots from wells and ponds along the way - in all about 40 to 50 pots a day.

Full time tree keepers:

Every year they planted 15 to 20 new plants until finally they had covered the whole of the 4km between Hulikal and Kudur. They were in love with their 'children'. Chikkanna quit working for a wage to keep a vigil on his young trees and to water them. He patrolled the stretch, shooed off cattle and watered the trees. Thimmakka worked for a wage to keep the pot boiling.

Thimmakka also recalls another facet of Chikkanna's life. It was usual in many villages to round up cattle straying on to agricultural properties and impound them in a pen. Owners eventually turned up, paid a fine and led their cattle off. Often some cattle would be in the pound for a few days. Chikkanna always showed up at the pound to water and feed the cattle - a task the village often forgot.

Recognition began to come Thimmakka's way in 1995, a good five years after Chikkanna's death. First ther was the National Citizen's Award in 1995 and then the Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award for 1997. She sits alone in her little house with her memorabilia. Central on a dwarf wall in the house is a picture of Chikkanna. Other certificates hang too. But most fetchingly, a crayon sent by a school girl: in the drawing the girl is planting trees and labels herself Salumaradha Thimmakka or Thimmakka of the Avenue Trees.

Thus, 45 years spent,in the life of two unknown Indians. Isn't it time we began to honour Indians who add lasting value to the land and inspire others to action? Shouldn't the avenue be named after Chikkanna and Thimmanna with a plaque telling the travellers of their story? Now, who amongst you is going to take the lead in getting this done?

The pictures of big banyan tree in bangalore

Afforestation

Afforestation

Afforestation is the process of planting trees, or sowing seeds, in a barren land devoid of any trees to create a forest. The term should not be confused with reforestation, which is the process of specifically planting native trees into a forest that has decreasing numbers of trees. While reforestation is increasing the number of trees of an existing forest, afforestation is the creation of a ‘new’ forest.

Our Earth has been constantly trying to cope with the way in which human beings use natural resources, clear forest lands, cut trees, and contaminate the air, land, and water. Industrial revolution, population bursts, and pollution create permanent damage to the earth, and the result is global warming and climate change. In such situations,something that can help extend the life of the planet and its living organisms is the increase of natural resources and decrease of exploitation of these resources.

By planting trees and creating forests, many of the commercial needs of human beings are fulfilled, while not destroying what is left of the planet. Afforestation is, therefore, a practice that has been propagated by government and non-government agencies of many countries as a way to stop over-exploitation of nature.

Singnificance of afforestation

The importance is immense in today's scenario because it is mainly done for commercial purposes. In a natural forest or woodland, the trees are heterogeneous. Owing to the sensitivity to over usage and slow growths, these forests cannot be used continuously for commercial purposes like wood products. The process of planting trees in empty lands helps promote the fast propagation of specific types of trees for the wood industry.

With the increasing demand for wood fuels and building materials, this process helps to meet these demands without cutting down the natural forests. Deforestation can lead to the depletion of trees in water catchments and riverside zones. Afforestation ensures trees and plants that hold the soil in these sensitive areas remain protected.

Many countries have introduced the practice of planting trees along with agricultural crops in croplands. The benefits of this practice, which is called agroforestry, are:

• It provides a supply of timber, fruit, and fodder for cattle apart from crop production
• It prevents soil erosion
• It enables better retention of water
• It shields crops from excessive wind and sun damage

In terms of the environmental benefits, planting trees is always beneficial whether it takes place in a barren land or is used as a method to regenerate a depleted forest. Trees help check atmospheric carbon dioxide; large scale afforestation can curb the problems caused due to burning of fossil fuels, industrialization and so forth.

Current Efforts

In the central hardwood forest region of the US, increasing numbers of land owners are converting crop land marginally into a forest. This is being done to decrease the pressure on the use of existing hardwood species of the forest like black cherry, black walnut, and northern red oak.

In South Africa, about 0.5 percent of land is covered with indigenous forests, and 1.1 percent by forests formed by Total Commercial Afforestation (TCA) and containing trees like pine, gum trees, black wattle, and so forth. This has helped provide wood to be used for charcoal, poles, mining timber, paper pulp, and other commercial applications.

The advantage of planting a tree species, like pine, is it helps check infections the tree is prone to in its native country and climate, thus producing higher production. Pursuant to better growth and higher yields due to afforesting of these alien species, South Africa can produce and export close to two million tons of wood and wood products.

In China, the government has earmarked a bulk amount equivalent to almost 300 billion US dollars that would be completely utilized for afforesting schemes the country is planning. To combat soil erosion in Central and West China, the government has already started the process of converting farmland back to woodland.

Conclusion

Afforesting is a positive effort in curbing the over-use and destruction of natural forests. If done with proper planning and at appropriate sites, it can become a commercially viable solution for many human needs without harming the balance of nature.