Greater Chennai Corporation begins pruning of trees ahead of the onset of the northeast monsoon

Additional focus given to locations where stormwater drain construction is in progress. However, residents allege that the Corpn. chooses a reactive rather than a proactive approach

One of the measures taken by the Greater Chennai Corporation in preparation for the Northeast monsoon is the pruning of roadside trees, particularly at locations where stormwater drain work is being done. Pruning is being done specially to avoid accidents as heavy trees tend to fall in inclement weather. The Corporation also prunes trees throughout the year to increase visibility of streetlights and avoid entanglements with electrical wires.

“We usually start pruning when the southwest monsoon begins and finish by the northeast monsoon,” a Corporation official said. Nungambakkam, Anna Nagar and Kodambakkam have been identified as areas with maximum tree cover and having the oldest trees. A horticulturist determines the extent of the pruning to avoid unnecessary damage to the tree. While the lower branches can be pruned manually, a hydraulic tree pruner is needed for higher levels.

“It is important to prune sensitively,” said Shobha Menon, managing trustee, Nizhal, an non-governmental organisation that promotes concern for trees. Each cut to a tree compromises its innate protection mechanisms and renders it vulnerable to fungal infections. According to her, the season also plays an important role as during the summer, the trees experience a lot of heat stress.

A Corporation zone-wise pruning abstract counts stormwater drain related trees separately. The abstract contains numbers for all 15 zones in the city and says that 14,130 regular and 1,636 stormwater drain trees have been pruned as of September 15.

However, K.L. Balasubramanaian, a resident of R.K. Nagar, said the civic body had not done any significant work in his area despite many trees requiring pruning. “The Corporation chooses a reactive rather than a proactive approach, only pruning in extreme situations,” he said. Trees along inner roads are often ignored, according to him, leading to frustration among the residents.

This is echoed by C. Ramakrishnan, president, FEDERA, and resident of Gandhi Nagar. “Our area is filled with old trees and the Corporation doesn’t take their well-being into consideration,” he said.

In an email dated September 16, Mr. Ramakrishnan wrote to the Commissioner on the hindrance caused by the stormwater drain digging work and included pictures of a large tree that was uprooted in the process. In addition, trees haven’t been pruned properly. “My request is simple: consider the trees when you are working on the drains,” he said.