A tree plantation drive done by Navi Mumbai Municipal corporation along with an NGO atop the Parsik hill is observed by local activists to have dried up owing to the lack of provision for watering the plants.
To address the issue of landslides and soil erosion, Municipal Corporation along with the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat India (AKAH) had undertaken a three tier tree plantation as the Hill.
The tree plantation drive was done on December 24.
The plantation followed a three-tier method, consisting of laying of vetiver grass, followed by small shrubs, and drumstick trees. “The project was undertaken under the Majhi Vasundhara scheme wherein tree plantations are to be done in a manner that the issue of soil erosion gets addressed. During the campaign as a token act plantation of 50 odd saplings were done,” said a representative of AKAH.
Nature lovers observed that most of the saplings have dried. According to activists the lack of provision to supply water to the plants have resulted in the plants drying up. ” except for three or four drumstick trees, all the trees planted as part of this initiative have completely dried up. The Municipal Corporation had granted permission for this project and assured the organization that water supply arrangements would be made for the plantation.NMMC six-month-long process in providing water connection has led to the drying up of all the trees at the site,” said the founder of Sajag Nagarik Manch Sudhir Dani.
The issue was brought to the attention of the Sajag Nagrik Manch by tree lover Anil Pawar.
The activist observed that two large water tanks had also been installed at the site. but NMMC failure to provide connection has led to the plants drying up. Meanwhile the representative of the AKAH informed that the connection for the water supply has been laid. ” There was the issue of plants drying up; but now NMMC has laid the pipeline and from Next Monday onwards the proper plantation drive will be conducted,” said the representative.
The manch has sought form NMMC to release a white paper on the number of trees planted in Navi Mumbai over the past three years, the expenditure incurred, and the actual number of trees that have survived. The member of the manc, Kapil Kulkarni emphasized the need for such transparency. He also noted that thousands of pits have already been dug for future tree plantations, and expressed hope that once trees are planted there, they will not face the same fate due to a lack of water.
