Are they dying a natural death?

Anjali Nauriyal E.C. Road

Travelling on Doon roads is no longer safe as more and more trees are falling down on unsuspecting commuters causing deaths in many cases. The most recent incident was the death of a young girl, who was participating in the Run for event, when a tree fell on her injuring her fatally. According to eye witnesses, the tree was loosely hanging after getting partly burnt. Many others were injured in the incident. Many trees, including a huge one on EC Road, were uprooted last week in a night storm. The same gale uprooted a tree at Astley Hall that brought down hoardings, while a tree from St. Joseph's campus fell on Subhash Road. Earlier a month ago, three people died when a huge tree fell on them on Sahastradhara Road.

These freak accidents have become so common that one shudders to travel on Doon roads these days, lest a tree falls on one's head from nowhere. But who can we blame except ourselves for this disastrous development? Not only are we mercilessly chopping down trees in the valley but also have done nothing to ensure that they remain healthy.

Sahastradhara Road can be cited as an example. This road was once lined with majestic trees. Today driving down on this road shows that the once glorious looking trees look unhealthy and shrivelled up and dying and holding on precariously on weakened roots.

Sangita Gairola, a resident of Sahastradhara since '84, says, "Sahastradhara Road was once a shaded avenue of Silver Oaks and Jacarandas that made the drive on this road such a pleasure. Today the trees look diseased and even the leaves look outwardly green; the trunks and roots upon close examination are found to be corroded and rotten. Why?" The reasons, as gathered from various sources, seem to be many. While one reason is that people with vested interests pour down some harmful chemical to kill the trees, another one is that all our lands are turning fallow as they are being provided no nourishment that can sustain them in the long run. Thirdly the trees are all drying up because the Eucalyptus trees that abound absorb all the water from the ground turning it dry. And last but not the least is because of attack of deadly termite.

Kuldeep Sahdev, who has a shop of electrical goods on this road, avers, "It was a big tragedy when some of our ignorant and unconcerned leaders got Eucalyptus trees planted all over the country. Eucalyptus is a killer; it destroys all other trees. Also we can see that most of our trees are over-aged and we have just not bothered to plant new ones. We have forgotten that only if we have greenery, do we have everything."

It's time the residents took the matter on their own hands instead of waiting for the government or other agencies like FRI to do the environment clean-up act for us. Time is ripe for a people's revolution and for taking up individual responsibility and damage control efforts. Gairola says, "Enough has been written about accusations hurled at people who cut trees, who condone it, who promote it and those who tell us that it is a necessary evil for growth and development. We should now start a parallel movement. Let's start planting two trees for every one that is cut in the city. Let's do it in our neighbourhood and at an individual level. Neighbourhood Tree Planting Association should be formed to plant trees relentlessly. Why cry yourself hoarse to stop those who have no ears to listen? Let us be the change we want to see." It is a shame that trees are being treated with such impunity and abused in a city that houses the Forest Research Institute. And who is conducting a survey around Doon to check out which are the vulnerable trees that can fall any moment? Apparently no one so far!