Thane lost 443 trees in June and July: Data

The city lost many big trees during heavy rain this monsoon. Tree fall incidents till July this year are more than last year in the same period.

The city lost many big trees during heavy rain this monsoon. Tree fall incidents till July this year are more than last year in the same period.

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In 2018, there were 364 tree fall incidents in June and July.

This year, the city recorded 443 tree falls during the same period.

Activists said the city has lost many old and rare species of trees.

They said concretisation of areas around trees is the major reason behind tree falls.

“The roots become weak as roads are being concretised. The number of rare species of trees is swindling,” said Rohit Joshi, an activist from Thane.

The old areas of Thane still have huge rain trees, which are standing tall. Recently, a 100-year- old banyan tree was uprooted in Panchpakhadi.

“Though the city is losing its green cover, areas such as Kolshet, Naupada, Majiwada and Kasarwadawli have rare species of trees. Banyan, peepul, manilkara hexandra and baobab are some of the species found in Thane,” said Kaustubh Darves, an environmentalist.

“According to TMC tree census, the city has 300 species of tree. Many are dwindling because of development and lack of maintenance. Around 2,000 banyan trees and around 45 baobab trees are left in the city,” added Darves.

According to one of the officials from regional disaster management cell (RDMC), most trees fell during the incessant rain.

“Due to heavy downpour, we used to receive more than 10 complaints of tree falls a day,” said an official from RDMC.