Trees falling due to winds: Rampant concretisation to blame?

Dehradun: Heavy rain and strong winds brought down at least 18 trees across Dehradun on Thursday evening and Friday morning, disrupting traffic and damaging public infrastructure, even as environmental activists blamed rampant concretisation around tree bases for the situation. A rain alert remains in place till June 7.Officials from the district disaster management office said tree collapses were reported from several parts of the city, including Rajpur Road, Jakhan, Mussoorie Diversion and Garhi Cantt. Authorities worked through Friday to clear debris and restore normal traffic movement.On Thursday, traffic on Rajpur Road was diverted towards Canal Road. Commuters complained of congestion throughout much of Friday as tree removal work continued. Activists said concretisation — the practice of pouring cement, laying interlocking tiles or applying tar too close to tree trunks — seals the soil around trees, restricting water absorption and weakening root systems over time."All the trees that fell were green and healthy. There is no reason why they should have fallen except for the rampant concretisation. Water cannot seep through and there is no space for the roots to breathe, which weakens the base and results in their collapse," said Ira Chauhan of Citizens for Green Doon. "People may blame trees, but they are not at fault. The unplanned manner in which infrastructure work is being carried out is," she added.Dehradun divisional forest officer Neeraj Sharma, however, said most of the fallen trees were Silver Oak and Paper Mulberry species, which have comparatively shallow root systems. "We have formed a team to identify at-risk trees and take precautions to prevent such incidents and the resulting traffic disruptions," he said.Environmentalists from Dehradun had approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the issue earlier this year. The tribunal directed authorities to de-concretise a one-metre area around the base of trees, reiterating earlier orders issued in the matter. "Despite the orders, only 150 trees have been de-concretised so far. If we do not act now, more trees may collapse, causing avoidable accidents. The NGT has already issued directions and authorities should comply," said Himanshu Arora of Citizens for Green Doon.Veteran environmentalist Vandana Shiva told TOI that trees, like any living being, require nourishment. "But when you pour concrete all around them, they cannot breathe. Strong trees are supposed to protect us from storms, not wither away in this manner," she said.In addition to the fallen trees, a police booth at Brahmkamal Chowk collapsed, while several barricades installed near the Rashtrapati Udyan site were damaged. Damage was also reported at the Ekta Vihar demonstration ground. "Flooding was reported from some houses in the Doon Vihar area of Jakhan, but there were no major incidents," said district disaster management officer Rishabh Kumar.