Civic agencies to survey all trees, monitor growth

Exercise will help the departments concerned track growth better and help them locate dry or dead trees and also those that need attention

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) will survey all trees in the city after the monsoon to track their growth, officials said on Wednesday.

Experts said that dead trees can fall during stormy weather, as observed during a recent rain spell, and lead to accidents. (Vipin Kumar /HT PHOTO)

Subhash Yadav, the nodal officer for the environment and sustainability wing of MCG and GMDA, said that this will help the departments concerned track their growth better and help them locate dry or dead trees and also those that need attention. For the exercise, a mobile application developed by the GMDA to count and monitor the growth of trees will be used.

“Every tree in the GMDA and MCG areas will be numbered and details, such as the size of the tree, the girth of tree, species, age and location, will be noted on the mobile application to detail the condition of each tree. After this process, if any tree falls naturally or is cut for some reason, the details will also be mentioned on the application,” said Yadav.

Officials said that tenders for the exercise will be issued in October and after studying the database, interventions to improve the green belts in the city will be done on a bi-yearly basis. The data will also be shared with the forest department so that trees that are 70-100 years old can be given the necessary attention.

Officials said that saplings planted this season will also be included and the work will start after monsoon to give them time to grow a bit.

Vijay Dhasmana, an eco-restoration practitioner, said, “A tree census is good as it helps in understanding what is needed to improve the biodiversity of an area, especially in cities like Gurugram. But we also need to understand why trees die. I have noticed many trees dying on the Ghata road. These trees were brought from high moisture areas and planted here, due to which the weather, water or soil conditions do not match. Authorities should plant the right species for our ecosystem so that they survive.”

In a related development, the forest department has allowed the GMDA to auction over 90 dead and dry trees from the Leisure Valley Park in Sector 29, Biodiversity Park in Sector 52 and Tau Devilal Park in Sector 22.

Officials said that the dry trees are mostly used as fuelwood. “These trees are auctioned periodically as they can fall during stormy weather and lead to an accident. No green trees will be cut in the process,” a senior official of the GMDA said.

Experts said that dead or dry trees can pose a threat to daily life, especially on busy traffic roads and residential colonies.