People power
Friday July 13 2007 14:35 IST
Priya M Menon

As cities grow, lush greenery makes way for urban concrete jungles. That’s true of any Indian city today. We are losing our green spaces, the ‘lungs’ of any city that are vital for our existence. And the rate at which trees are being cut down, has made it imperative for us to take prompt action.Just recently, the Madras High Court directed the Chennai Corporation to plant 50 saplings for every tree it fells, irrespective of the purpose. It has also been asked to plant 50 saplings of ‘sitespecific’ species in case the transplanted saplings die or decay.This directive was on a PIL filed by a concerned citizen D Vijaya Bhaskaran of Alwarpet, against the proposed felling of trees along the arterial roads in the city. An inspiring instance of what each one of us can do for the environment.Yet another fine example of citizen’s effort can be seen in New Delhi where a number of concerned citizens have come together to fight to protect what they believe is precious.‘Trees for Delhi’ is a coalition of a group of concerned citizens and environmental NGOs. It has been campaigning to put a stop to the thousands of trees being cut in Delhi. The current focus, however, is to save the trees that are marked for felling for the construction of the first phase of the High Capacity Bus Service (HCBS) in South-Central Delhi. On June 5, World Environment Day, they also organized a public protest against anti-environment city planning.To highlight the need to stop mindless development, they have some hard facts for you. Just consider: -Despite the 33% green cover recommended under the National Forest Policy, Delhi’s tree cover is only at a 10.2% mark. -Today, even though Delhi’s green cover is way below the prescribed mark, 35,000 trees have already been cut down for the metro, flyovers and various road widening projects. -Another 2,100 trees are to be cut for the High Capacity Bus Service for just a 14km stretch.Green spaces are the lungs of any city. Did you know that just an acre of healthy trees can produce enough oxygen for 18 people per day? Trees also help combat air pollution, prevent soil erosion, reduce noise pollution and can also decrease energy costs by reducing heating and cooling costs.It is easy to conclude that fewer trees mean an adverse impact on human health. For instance, hotter summers and a rise in breathing ailments like asthma.Do we have an alternative? Yes, say environmentalists. According to them, rigorous traffic management would definitely be a great step, for it means that then you needn’t widen the road to accommodate more lanes.Trees for Delhi is also working to stop the felling of trees in Sundar Nursery, which houses at least 114 species of rare and unusual trees. This citizen’s initiative is one that can be emulated by each one of us, no matter in which part of the country we live in. What matters is that we care enough to take act. For, ultimately, that’s what will make a difference.