Lutyens' lost over 350 trees due to rain, storm in three years: NDMC data

Lutyens' Delhi has lost more than 350 trees due to rain and storm in the past three years, data from the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) showed.

According to the data, more than eight lakh saplings were planted in the NDMC region over a period of two years.

In reply to an RTI query by PTI, the civic body stated that it also engaged residents and societies in mass plantation programmes to increase green cover.

Indigenous tree species such as neem, peepal, pilkhan, jamun, arjun, khirni, and imli were planted in the NDMC area when British architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens was entrusted with the task to plan New Delhi in 1911.

"A total of 354 trees have fallen in last three years due to heavy storm and rain. The NDMC's horticulture department is regularly doing pruning to balance the trees. As many as 8,38,675 tree saplings have been planted in NDMC area in last two years," the NDMC said.

It also said that at present there are 1.5 lakh threes in the NDMC area.

In the RTI reply, the NDMC said continuous efforts were being made to increase green cover in the region. These efforts include massive plantation drives, public participation and awareness programmes.

"The horticulture department of the NDMC does mass tree plantation to increase green cover in the area falling under its jurisdiction. The residents of RWA, school children, etc. are involved in mass tree plantation programmes," the civic body said.

According to NDMC officials, the Lutyens' Delhi had lost at least 77 trees, some of them decades-old heritage trees, while 58 big branches broke off and fell in a fierce thunderstorm and heavy rains in May this year.

The uprooted trees include neem (seven), peepal (six), jamun (five), arjun (four), and seemal, pilkhan and bargad (two each). One tree each of imli, kadelia, kusum, kekan, balam, bheda and eucalyptus were also lost during that storm.

Officials said that heritage trees are commonly those which are above 80 years old.

NDMC officials said that concretised pavements hamper growth of a tree thereby compromising on its load bearing capacity making it prone to get uprooted.

In July, NDMC vice chairman Satish Upadhyay had said the municipality would form a task force to monitor health of trees in Lutyens' Delhi and ensure that roads were timely cleared whenever they were uprooted following a storm or rain.

He had said the NDMC would also geo-tag 1.08 lakh trees in Lutyens' Delhi and a proposal in this connection was passed in the NDMC's Council meeting in July.