Bengaluru has seen trees vanishing faster than it’s supposed. In the last 9 years, official estimates show that over 18,000 trees have been axed for road widening alone. It has just one tree for seven of its citizens, with the ratio even lower in some areas. So, has the green paradise that the city was been lost forever?
Green paradise lost forever?
The Garden City which was once home to a great combination of natural ecosystems has lost nearly 80-90 percent of its biodiversity since the 1960s. The fast and unexplained growth of the city might put an end to even the last remaining species that have made Bengaluru their home, say experts.
Apart from the proposed constructions and development project, in the last almost 9 years, Bengaluru has already lost about 18000 trees due to different development plans according to a report.
Between 2008-09 and 2016-17 about 17,964 trees were chopped for road widening, constructing flyovers, and other different projects. As per a BBMP forest department abstract, Namma Metro caused the felling of 2840 trees, and different development projects led to the felling of 15,124 trees.
A joint survey conducted by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and the Indian Institute of Science carried out in the year 2014 indicates that 40 years ago Bengaluru had 40 lakh trees which are 14.78 lakh till the survey was conducted.
Meanwhile, BBMP has asserted that this authority is also planting trees to compensate for the loss of such high number of trees. The civic body will also permit residents of the city to decide which tree they wanted to be planted in the locality, and accordingly, this civic authority will plant the trees’ saplings, and the residents will have to maintain them.
Our Beautiful city is rapidly losing its greenery and its charm. The authority and residents need to act sooner before this city becomes unhealthy and unlivable.
Viral Post
A post is now trending on Twitter where a user has shared a picture of RV Road (Nanda Theatre road) before it was planned for a Metro line construction.
Bengaluru Road… Once upon a time
Can you guess this place ? pic.twitter.com/xvXieFBVTI— Arun Adiga (@arunadiga) December 5, 2022
Netizens react
Those of us who grew up in this Bangalore can almost smell the trees in this photo and know how cool the air is under this canopy. What a pity we have lost almost all these trees
— Faye DSouza (@fayedsouza) December 6, 2022
Rashtriya Vidyalaya Raste before Metro. My dad used to take this road everyday to drop me to school.
— dr_vee (@dr_vee95) December 6, 2022
Loved passing by this road. HAL – Marathahalli road pic.twitter.com/wl6TzUjgwK
— Laljee (@rants_lalp) December 5, 2022
Then and Now. pic.twitter.com/cLJw9v3PPA
— Avishar Dutta (@AvisharDutta) December 6, 2022
The beautiful Nanda Theatre Road in Jayanagar was famous for it’s canopy of trees and it was always “cool” to walk or even drive your vehicles. Modernisation, doesn’t make a city look pretty always. Wish we could go back to the 90’s again ?
— Suhas Chitrashekar (@suhascshekar) December 5, 2022
I grew up in this Bangalore till the mid-90s and cherished the sight of these canopies. When I visited the city after a decade or so, my heart bled at the sight of my favourite city. Only concrete high rises and indiscriminate malls everywhere. traffic jams and green cover gone.
— Madhavi (@msd_ans) December 6, 2022
This is how Bangalore used to look like, when I fist visited in 1977, as a cadet in NDA. Now my son is working there, shall share with him. The quintessential airconditioned city. My last trip was in 2019. Sad to see its deterioration due to unchecked construction activity.
— Johnny Gorkha (@RakeshG1109) December 6, 2022
How much we humans have ruined nature. I am sure it is not Kasturba Road between Kanteerva Stadium & cubbon. I remember the time then when median was not there. RV Road or somewhere in Gandhibazaar
— NorthMadaStreet (@NorthMadaStreet) December 6, 2022
Such a lovely road. I used to do daily cycling on this road. pic.twitter.com/kll7VQ6FOZ
— Mesavkar (@Mesavkar1) December 6, 2022
Watched the old movie Accident last week. Oh my god, Bangalore in the 80s was heaven.. miss the trees and empty roads.
— HarVi (@vipareetabuddhi) December 6, 2022
