Published in Dwarka Express on 13.7.24

‘Could anyone compensate the death of your dear and near ones?’ asked an emotionally charged social activist, on hearing that a large-scale felling of trees would be compensated by the compensatory plantation. When a 50-year-old tree is felled, how long it would take for the compensating sapling to give the benefit similar to that of the old tree? Could any architect make a 50-year-old tree in his workshop? In Bangalore, for example, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara (BBMP) has permitted Metro Rail Corporation (DMRCL) in 2020-21 to go for compensatory plantation of 10 tall and healthy saplings for felling one well grown tree to facilitate the Metro Rail construction. Undoubtedly, DMRCL carried out the compensatory plantation. The saplings so planted have grown to say 6/9 feet in 3 years. Eventually, one needs to wait for a decade or so to have full compensation for a 50-year-old tree. Bangalore was once lauded as garden city, but obviously the oldies witness the destruction with heavy heart and wet eyes now. Perhaps the GenNext may not even feel that pinch. The speed with which the trees are felled for road and metro rail expansion is formidable and appears that the compensation will nowhere match the destruction. Bangalore is not an isolated case. It is the order of the day. We curse the arid summer and the moment rain starts, we forget the past as a nightmare. Amnesia is our common disease!

Are we going to do justice? India has promised to increase its forest cover so as to absorb an ambitious volume of 2.5. to 3 billion tons of CO2 by 2030. But as per Climate Action Tracker, India’s climate action is rated overall as ‘highly insufficient’ and as for as forestry is considered, it is rated as ‘not significant’. Do you know why? India has a total forest land of 714 lac Sq KMs of forest cover (2021) as per Forest Survey of India website which is about one fourth of India’s land area. Going by the international standards, an estimated 6 lac Sq KMs of forest cover must be added to the existing forest cover of 714 lac Sq KMs. In simple terms, the existing forest cover of 24% (of total area of the country) must be raised to 32% by 2030. Our records show a different scene. In the last 10 years, an area similar to the total area of Delhi (roughly 1500 Sq KMs) has been given up to deforestation in India. When our forest cover is getting reduced year after year, to this extent where is the question of increasing 600000 Sq KMs? Shall we be able to achieve this target? Does our politicians and bureaucrats take cognizance of the bitter reality? As responsible citizens, to combat global warming and prevent climate change, what is our role? We had enough of seminars on climate change. It is time for action. Let us not miss the bus!