Bangalore: Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been directed by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to take up an extensive afforestation drive called “phenomenal decline in green cover” in the city.
As per the study done by KSPCB and Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), over the last 40 years the greenery has been reduced from 72 per cent of the total area to just 21 per cent. Thus, greening the Bangalore drive could help control the noise levels and improve ambient air quality. According to the study conducted via remote sensing data, maps and GPS surveys; the city is just left with 14, 78,418 trees.
According to the order of KSPCB, “an attempt should be made to have at least one tree per person in Bangalore city”. This recent order is the latest among the directives from the High Court for not enforcing the environment protection laws. Vaman Acharya, the chairman of KSPCB has instructed the civic body “to formulate an action plan” for “extensive afforestation in Bangalore city” in the order.
Brijesh Kumar, BBMP chief conservator of forests said that his office receives applications to fell roughly 5,000 trees in the city every year which means that the residents wanted to remove the trees from the private properties as well as the trees felled for infrastructure projects. Even this year till September, trees around 2000 have been already felled.
Over the last four years, the civic body has planted over 6 lakh saplings, said, Mr. Kumar said.
