Searing sun in Whitefield? Stop axing trees

Well, if the sun is too harsh in Whitefield, then stop depleting the tree cover.

Once an area where experts had documented the highest number of trees is now a concrete jungle.

An ongoing tree census by Whitefield Rising (WR) documented around 500 plus trees so far, along the roads. They hope to count 1,000 plus trees.

“In an earlier ward-wise survey, Varthur had the highest number of trees. Now the ward has lost most of its trees due to concretisation. The census conducted by the residents shows fewer number of trees,” said professor T V Ramachandra of the IISc.

However, Ramachandra said he cannot comment further as the survey was confined to roads. According to the professor, Bengaluru requires eight trees per person.

Whitefield residents took up such a census after the reckless axing of one of the oldest banyan trees in the area, thought to be 100 years old, by unidentified persons in March.

They had lodged a complaint before the police against the unidentified persons but nothing turned up. Thereafter, they opted for the census.

“This creates awareness among those who do not know the importance of greenery. We can keep track of the number of trees and their respective locations through the survey, and lodge complaints if they are axed illegally,” said Indira Kedlaya from WR. The project, ‘Neralu’, has groups of 4-5 volunteers, who dedicate their weekends to the survey.

Volunteers created a page on iNaturalist, a mobile app that helps identify flora and fauna. A tree is located, photographed and uploaded on the app. A located tree will have a number written with black emulsion paint on the trunk on a white background.