Not on roads, BMC to plant 4 lakh trees in gardens and open spaces

MUMBAI: Citing that plantation of trees on roads and footpaths resulted in an increase in tree fall and human deaths, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in its budget has proposed that 4 lakh trees should be planted in open spaces, gardens or private layouts using the Miyawaki method.

The Miyawaki method pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki aims at planting dozens of native species in the same area which leads to an increase in growth rate and density of the plantation.

The BMC, in its budget for 2020-2021, has allocated over ₹254 crore for the plantation. “Due to plantation in built-up spaces like roads, footpaths and covered tiled area, incidences of tree fall and human death are very high. Hence, a further increase in tree cover will come from plantations in open spaces/gardens and in private layouts of developers in recreation grounds via a method of dense urban forests of indigenous local species,” stated BMC in the budget on Tuesday.

The BMC also tabled data stating that cutting permissions for 25,000 trees have been given in the last five years for vital development projects, followed by 3,236 permissions this year. The BMC proposed in the budget that cutting of these trees will be compensated via Miyawaki plantations.

The proposal got a mixed response from activists and urban planners. “It is ideal to have newly planted trees on roads and footpaths. But in a city like Mumbai, it is not practical for existing roads as they cannot take the excess tree load. Trees can be planted on newly-made roads,” said Rajendra Shinde, head of botany department, St Xavier’s College. While Zoru Bhathena, environmental activist said, “BMC’S lackadaisical attitude leads to tree fall and deaths. They should take more care of the trees after they are planted.”