Cracks in Bengaluru's green goals

Bengaluru: Come June, citizens in the garden city, which is on the verge of losing its title due to the vanishing of green spaces, become active, seeking to plant saplings in their neighbourhoods and public spaces. Every year, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) dedicates money to the cause of greening.

This year, there will be planting of 1 lakh saplings across the city, says B L G Swamy, Deputy Conservator of Forests, BBMP. There will also be miyawaki forests with high-density planting coming up in four locations: Kudlu in Bommanahalli, Singapura in Yelahanka, Ambedkar Park in Dasarahalli, and Sadashivanagar.

There will also be compensatory afforestation of 20,000 saplings on behalf of other agencies that have cut trees, such as K-RIDE, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), or the Bangalore Metropolitan Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), he adds.

There are also plans to deconcretise the surroundings of growing plants by removing the concrete and cement tiles that prevent water from seeping into the ground, and replacing them with pavers that allow water to seep in. This will stop the saplings from becoming weak due to the lack of water and falling or dying sooner. A tender will be called to execute this programme, and to remove the metal tree guards that obstruct the growing trees, he informed DH.

Vijay Nishanth, an environmental activist and founder of Project Vruksha, says that this year, the BBMP has been silent on afforestation drives. However, the officials clarify that citizens, NGOs, and welfare associations can take saplings from the BBMP when needed.

“We do give saplings to citizens if they are limited in number, but when associations ask for 1000-2000 plants, we need to track where they are planted, so we ask them where to plant them, and we do it ourselves. The communities later take care of them,” Swamy adds, informing that citizens interested in obtaining saplings can always contact the BBMP, or inform through the Mapathon app.

How much is the city spending on planting? While a larger budget is allocated every year, the planting of one sapling through a tender, including five years of planting and maintenance costs, costs the BBMP Rs 3,100, Swamy reveals. The money spent on planting drives is astronomical, and the greening outcome is not proportional to it, according to activists.

Tech solutions to track survival?

What happens to the saplings tracked? Who makes sure they survive? This is a question that haunts many activists. Dattatreya Devare, a Trustee of the Bangalore Environment Trust, says he has been trying to track the survival rate for years. “The BBMP has changed the contracting period from three years to five years, and the contractor is tasked with making sure the saplings survive,” he adds.

However, no one knows precisely what is on paper for the contracts awarded, nor what the terms are. The BBMP collaborates with nearly 30 contractors citywide for plantation drives.

Swamy admitted to the contracting period being extended to five years. He said the payment is made in instalments, tied to the survival rate. “Every sapling planted is geo-tagged and accounted for, with all details. This helps track each sapling. Also, an app named Hasiru Rakshaka has been launched, where all details are uploaded, and students and citizens from neighbouring schools can monitor and care for the saplings and flag any shortcomings to the BBMP,” he says.

While Hasiru Rakshaka’s website is visible, there was no app on the Google Play Store when DH tried to access it. The public interface of the website was non-interactive, with no scope to see the details of the saplings planted.

According to citizens, the bigger problem is that the hypothesis is that students are allowed to carry them to school. Most schools in the city do not allow this, so there is no question of monitoring the plants or tracking them through an app. In this case, the app itself is absent. 

A letter written on behalf of the Bengaluru Residents Welfare Association to the BBMP says that student engagement can be one small intervention, but can never be a solution for sapling maintenance.

Mapathon (https://smartoneblr.com/PlantingSitesDetails.htm) is another tech solution that focuses on identifying and creating a database of potential planting sites, including vacant lands, empty plots, private gardens, land parcels along roadsides, site boundaries, water bodies, and land with unhealthy and degrading plantations. People can use the Mapathon app to flag empty spaces where the BBMP can plant saplings, says Swamy.

However, again, the functionality of this technical solution is questionable. Many citizens who have tried to use it complain that it does not work. 

No public data

Vijay Nishanth states that there is no publicly available data on the survival rate of the saplings planted by the BBMP or the greening rate in the city. Such data will help establish accountability and keep Bengaluru green, he adds. He says there is a lot of space where saplings can be planted.

R. Rajagopalan, convener of the Bengaluru Coalition, says that private spaces are sometimes used for plantation activities; such plantation activity is done at the expense of public money; therefore, private spaces should not be greened using public funds. But the BBMP officials have a justification: They state that private spaces are safe and secure for the planted saplings; therefore, they plant saplings even in private spaces when people request it.

Anand Ramachandran, a resident of Indiranagar who has worked on local tree planting activities, says that contractors often lack knowledge on where to plant trees, and they also tend to choose areas that are easily accessible, rather than targeting blank spaces where old trees might have fallen or been chopped down. Often, contractors need reminders from locals, and despite that, they do not water the plants, he adds. He also questions the timing of plantation drives, which should be in the monsoon season, but happen as late as December sometimes.

There are rules for watering the saplings. “Watering needs to be done five times. We plant hardy species that do not require much water, and contractors take care of watering them when needed,” Swamy explains. While the intention is good and an action point is mandated, the problem is in monitoring whether this is being done or not.

Problems and problems, no action

Various residents highlighted issues such a non-native tree choices, monoculture, lack of variety in species chosen, weak bamboo tree guards, lack of watering by the contractors, lack of care or maintenance, not replacing the dead saplings and more.

Sampangiraman G K, a contractor working with the BBMP, says the species selection is taken care of, and the contractors address most of the issues mentioned above, as payment is linked to solving these problems.

The Bengaluru Residents Welfare Association (RWA) had written to the BBMP Chief Commissioner with concerns about poor implementation, enforcement, and oversight in sapling plantation, green cover maintenance, and environmental contracts. It said that despite multiple complaints since 2021, BBMP has failed to address issues like a lack of stringent penalties and enforcement for illegal tree cutting and green cover destruction, absence of proper auditing, supervision, and clearly defined contract terms, inadequate equipment and unofficial demands from contractors for payments.

Planting contractors and BBMP officials claim they are adhering to the rules, and everything is improving. However, activists feel that despite constantly flagging issues, there is little change on the ground. The greenery in the city has been reducing by the day amid this tug of war.