Colaba residents appoint arborist to prevent tree fall accidents

Along with their former corporator Makarand Narwekar, the residents have appointed a professional arborist company, TreecoTech, to determine the health of trees in their respective areas

MUMBAI: In the wake of four deaths caused by tree falls this monsoon, the residents of Colaba-Cuffe Parade have decided to take no chances on this score. Along with their former corporator Makarand Narwekar, the residents have appointed a professional arborist company, TreecoTech, to determine the health of trees in their respective areas.

Former corporator Makarand Narwekar along with Colaba residents inspects trees. (HT Photo)

“We did a recce of over 100 trees along with the arborists, and 50 trees from Shirin Daulat building at Colaba Post Office up to Indu clinic at the end of Woodhouse Road, have already been examined and numbered,” said Colaba resident Joanette Remedios. “On Tuesday, the arborists will measure their girth and dimensions with machines.”

The cost of appointing a private arborist, which could go up to ₹200,000, will be borne by Narwekar. “I will not let anyone in A ward suffer on account of tree-falling incidents,” he said. “I will get a complete dossier on each tree, its status, health and the type of trimming it requires.” Narwekar questioned why the BMC, which spent crores on ‘beautification’ could not get arborists on board for the health of trees.

Vaibhav Raje, founding partner of Treecotech, when contacted, said that there were about 100 trees which would be examined in A ward. “We identified about 50 trees yesterday and will now do the data collection and risk assessment,” he said. “The risk will be assessed from Tuesday onwards. What we are doing now is a visual assessment of the trees.”

Raje said that he and his team would identify the physiological defects in the trees and the likelihood of branch or tree failure. “Based on this, we will assign a rating to every tree: high-risk, low-risk or medium-risk as the case may be,” he said. “We will use Resistograph machines to identify trees with internal decay, check if the wood is sound and if the tree is structurally stable. We will give a detailed report in five days.”

Depending upon the problems identified, Raje’s firm provides mitigation measures to minimise the risk of trees falling. “Depending upon the condition, that could go from simple pruning to cutting down the tree if it is a very high-risk one,” he said.

The arborist said that space in Mumbai was a major constraint for trees, because trees planted 30 to 40 years ago had now outgrown the space. “Thus, the rooting area is very limited,” he said. “Over and above, with climate change and severe monsoons every year, the above-ground conditions have changed. Trees with a not-so-good rooting system may not be able to cope with winds.”

Another observation of Raje is that apart from no pruning at all, sometimes excessive pruning creates more problems for Mumbai’s trees. He said that this malady began 10 or 15 years ago when the BMC introduced pruning. “The first time itself, BMC contractors completely hacked the trees,” he said. “This kind of thing sets off a chain reaction, as the tree goes into shock and grows within six months. Then they have to prune it every year and the vicious circle continues.”

Excessive pruning causes irreversible problems sometimes, said Raje. “It is important to maintain a certain canopy in the tree for it to survive and remain healthy,” he pointed out. “If over-pruning is done, the tree may not die overnight but its lifespan will be reduced by half. Trees must be pruned in a scientific manner. Also, every tree does not need to be pruned every year—it should be done according to the tree and site condition requirements.”