Despite ongoing campaign to de-choke trees in city by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), many trees in city are waiting for such rescue attempt by the civic body. Trees on Central Bazar Road are waiting for their fate as most of the trees are choked due to haphazard development work by the city fathers. When ‘The Hitavada’ visited Central Bazaar Road in Ramdaspeth, several trees along the footpath were found tightly encased in cement, leaving little to no room for air or water to reach their roots. The problem was not limited to this stretch alone. Similar conditions were observed from Lokmat Square to Rahate Colony Square, where trees stood with barely any loose soil left for them to grow naturally.

 

City-based botanist Dr Alka Chaturvedi said, “Cementing the base of a tree, or even adding pavement blocks, prevents the natural exchange of air and water, slowly suffocating trees.” Tree choking has become increasingly common across the city, with several roadside trees left with no soil around their bases and their long-term survival at risk. According to Dr Chaturvedi, sealing the base of a tree with cement or compact pavement blocks causes direct and long-term damage. Soil covered with cement or debris around the trunk restricts the water percolation which cuts off the water supply to the roots. In a city like Nagpur, where temperatures often rise sharply, the cement heats up and begins to burn the base of the trunk, in a process called girdling.

 

This will slowly weaken the structural integity of the tree and risk the tree falling during storms or strong winds. In many areas, the road is built so close to the trunk that the roots are forced to branch out in search of water, which results in cracks and damage to newly-built roads. This leads to repeated damage and unnecessary expenditure, as the road has to be rebuilt frequently. Dr Chaturvedi also mentioned that the idea of translocating trees was also impractical, saying that the failure rate of tree translocation is much higher than the success rate in Nagpur. Our technology is not advanced enough to guarantee a high survival rate. Removing healthy trees and attempting to translocate them often results in more loss than conservation. She gave the example of the heritage trees that were recently translocated, and soon after died due to insufficient conservation efforts made by the authorities. Despite multiple reports and ongoing public concern, the practice of cementing tree bases continues in several places across Nagpur. Unless basic guidelines are followed and proper space is left around trees, Nagpur’s roadside greenery will continue to decline.