Noida authority to end tree killing pest menace in 2 weeks

THE PROBLEM HAS BECOME PREVALENT OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS AND THESE WHITE INSECTS DAMAGE EVEN HEALTHY TREES

NOIDA/GREATER NOIDA: After the Gautam Budh Nagar forest department sought urgent action to tackle the menace of “tree-killing” insects that has been found in Noida and Greater Noida, the Noida authority said that it will take steps to end the problem within 15 days.

District forest department officials said frequent complaints were being received from residents in Noida and Greater Noida regarding the destruction of trees by a particular type of insect.the department on Tuesday wrote to the Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway Industrial Developement Authority (Yeida) seeking a solution to the problem.

The forest department also met with Noida authority officials on Tuesday.

Divisional forest officer (DFO), Gautam Budh Nagar, Pramod Kumar Srivastava said, “Complaints were being lodged by residents regarding the damage sustained by trees in Noida and Greater Noida due to the activity of tree-killing pest. We have appraised the authorities of the situation so as to take necessary steps to address the problem.”

“The problem has become prevalent over the past few years and these white insects damage even healthy trees. We have asked authorities to take up necessary steps such as spraying pesticides to end the problem,” said the DFO.

The two cities have hundreds of trees of different species, mostly pipal and banyan, as per forest department.

“There are lakhs of trees of various species in the district and about 5% trees have been affected by the insects,” said the DFO.

Mahendra Prakash, director, horticulture department, Noida, said, “The process of spraying of pesticides is already underway. The exercise will be further intensified to end the problem within 15 days.”

Anand Mohan Singh, senior horticulture officer, Yeida, said, “We have deployed four tankers in fields and we are working on controlling the problem.”

Earlier this month, the Federation of Noida Residents’ Welfare Association (FONRWA) had written to the Noida Authority, urging for an immediate solution due to the rise of insects in several residential sectors including 22, 47, 62, 71, 72 and 82.

The federation had put forward a demand seeking removal of alstonia trees and immediate spraying of pesticides, stating that the ‘mealy bugs’ known for infesting trees were causing an inconvenience.