Out of 7.5k trees to be transplanted for metro depot, less than 2.5k may survive

Data accessed by Hindustan Times shows that the survival rate of trees transplanted owing to metro works is barely 33%

Mumbai: Even as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) plans to transplant over 7,500 trees to accommodate a car depot for the metro 9 corridor in Uttan, data accessed by Hindustan Times shows that the survival rate of trees transplanted owing to metro works is barely 33%. In comparison, the survival rate for in situ plantations – wherein saplings grown in nurseries for 7-10 years were planted along metro corridors – is nearly 90%, data shows.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which constructed the 33.5-km underground metro 3 line connecting Colaba with Aarey Colony, axed 2,800 trees to accommodate metro lines and stations (Hindustan Times)

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which constructed the 33.5-km underground metro 3 line connecting Colaba with Aarey Colony, axed 2,800 trees to accommodate metro lines and stations and another 2,141 trees to accommodate the car depot in Aarey Colony. Another 1,643 trees were transplanted to make way for various facilities, as per data sourced from MMRC.

In a survey carried out in 2020, barely four years after the commencement of work on the metro line, it was found that only 545 of the 1,643 transplanted trees, or barely 33%, had survived. While no survey was conducted subsequently to assess the condition of these trees, it is likely that more trees have perished in the past five years, which would further lower the survival rate.

“In-situ plantations have a far better survival rate, at 85-90%, compared to transplanted trees,” said an MMRC official. “In case of in-situ plantations, whose trees that do not survive are replaced by the agency mandated to execute and manage the plantations.”

Tree expert Vaibhav Raje concurred that transplanted trees have a lower chance of survival than plantations. Survival of transplanted trees depends on a few prime factors, such as which trees are moved and where and how are they transplanted, he said.

“Even in the best conditions, there is no guarantee of 100% survival in transplantations. If one achieves 50% survival, it is good enough,” said Raje.

Activist Zoru Bathena, who was part of the movement seeking relocation of the metro 3 car shed out of Aarey Colony and is part of a high court appointed committee to oversee plantations for the same project, said, “Transplanting for the sake of doing it, just because you are forced to do it, doesn’t work. Transplantation requires care, which is sorely missing in all government projects.”

The low rate of survival gains prominence against the backdrop of MMRDA’s plan to construct a car shed for metro 9 in Uttan, displacing nearly 10,000 trees. As reported by HT, while the Mira Bhaindar Municipal Corporation put out a public notice seeking citizen responses on March 12 saying 9,900 trees would be axed, the MMRDA on Thursday claimed that only 3,716 trees would be axed while 7,590 trees would be transplanted.

Meanwhile, with civil works on the metro 3 corridor nearing completion, 1,113 trees have been planted at stations and surrounding areas while another 23,523 trees have been planted as part of the compensatory afforestation programme, according to data shared by MMRC. Officials clarified that these were in situ plantations, which have a far higher survival rate compared to transplanted trees.

But environmentalists say even trees that were part of in-situ plantations along the metro corridor have perished, likely due to lack of maintenance and watering. “At Mahim West, 10 trees were planted in a row, out of which three have died,” said activist Zoru Bathena, while Godfrey Pimenta from the nonprofit Watchdog Foundation raised concerns in an email to MMRC about the “distressing condition of tree plantations” at Aarey Colony, where the car depot was constructed.

“The sorry state of affairs is solely due to lack of maintenance and watering, even though the MMRC is spending ₹2 lakh per tree for maintenance and upkeep. The agency responsible for maintenance should be held accountable,” said Pimenta.