The heavy rains in Delhi on Thursday not only flooded the roads and affected traffic, but it also affected the greenery of the city as more than 25 trees were uprooted during the day. One such accident occurred between the busy Kalkaji Road where a 50-year-old man was killed and his daughter was seriously injured when a tree fell on a car. She is struggling for life. Environmentalists say that the major reason for this is to use concrete around trees.
They say that the middle part of the pavement in the capital and the road is often sealed with concrete to the trunk of trees, although the purpose of this process is to increase cleanliness and durability, but experts say that it does not get enough nutrients to the trees and they weaken over time. Sunil Kumar Aledia, Executive Director of the Center for Holistic Development, said, the main reason behind the repeated uprooting of trees is the use of concrete (around them).
Eladia said, “We have been hearing about its loss since childhood, but nothing has been done to solve this problem. The NGT (National Green Tribunal) has ordered that trees should not be cut in Delhi, but it is not enough. If you look at, the barks of many trees have turned black here, which is an indication that they are not getting enough nutrients.
He said, “You will see that trees rarely fall in parks or forests, (but) the roadside trees (whose roots are buried under the pavements) fall. Such use of concrete weakens the roots, prevents their growth and blocks their reach to water and oxygen. ”In the 2013 order of NGT, the authorities were instructed to remove the concrete from a radius of one meter around the trees, but even after more than a decade, it has not been implemented properly. Delhi -based environmentalist V. Khanna said that the water and air are blocked by making cement around the base of the tree and it prevents the stem from spreading.