BIAL to translocate 7,095 trees for terminal

Saving environment has turned a costly affair even to the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) which is shelling out as much as Rs 2.5 crore to translocate thousands of trees, as a new terminal, runway and many more are going to take shape soon.

The land surrounding the new runway will be carpeted with lush greenery, making the Kempegowda International Airport the first in India and only third in the world to have green corridors around the runway.

Infrastructural development has been taken up at the airport at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore. There will be a transformation in its landscape to amalgamate with the new terminal – designed to be terminal in a garden. Over 7,095 trees and shrubs that are in the path of the expansion will be translocated to other locations within the airport premises in a phased manner, further enhancing the landscape all the way from the trumpet to the terminal.

A total of 1,285 trees and plants will be translocated in the first phase, and the rest will be carried out over the next two years. The BIAL has tied up with Volvo Trucks and Institute of Wood Science and Technology for the execution of the translocation project.

By following scientific methods, the trees will be uprooted from their original location and replanted in selected areas – without damaging its roots. The tree-transplanter is capable of translocating around 17 large trees each day.

Prasanna Murthi Desai, vice president and the head of landscape, BIAL, said around 1,600 trees have been manually dislocated and 240 plus trees have been dislocated using machines.

“There are many steps involved in translocating trees. We have to do pre-assessment to check if the tree is healthy. Water loss is minimised through methods of trenching and shaping the root ball. This is important as some of the absorbing roots are pruned during transplanting.

“After the root is wrapped, it is kept moist and tightly secured to prevent it from breaking. The trees will be lifted through the barrel strap technique to their new home after which post-monitoring will be done,” he said.