CHENNAI: It came, it shook, it destroyed. In the aftermath of Cyclone Vardah that disrupted normal life and rendered thousands homeless, the ones that have borne the brunt are the city’s oldest inhabitants, the trees.
The city looks no less than a morgue, only blood has been replaced by squashed green and crumbling browns. The worst hit have been species of trees native to Chennai, including the Azadirachta Indica or the neem tree, and the poongai maram or Artocarpus Hirsutus. Other trees native to Chennai include the tamarind, mango, bombax or silk-cotton, date palm, Syzygium cumini or jamun and peepal.
Most parks in the city lost their vegetation, like the one opposite Sundaram Medical Foundation, that was completely flattened. The park housed a number of non-natives as well, like the Eucalyptus.
As many as 2,700 sanitation workers from different parts of Tamil Nadu are working with 480 tipper lorries and 320 JCBs to clear the mess, informs J Babu, a chief engineer at Chennai Corporation.
Noted environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman blames the huge tree toll on the city’s quest for beautification. He says that while native trees like the coconut and palmyra are not avenue trees they are still lined up to serve the purpose.
It is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure that these trees are cared for but that is often overlooked, focused as they are on beautifying the city, he points out.
The thrust has been on planting fast growing, ornamental trees, most of which did not survive the storm, focusing more on optics than sensibility, he adds.
Another reason why Chennai witnessed strong winds was the lack of sand dunes and vegetation along the coastal areas. They usually act as a buffer from the winds, but had to make way for the senseless quest to beautify the landscape, he says.
“Many of the trees in Besant Avenue have been choked up on either side by the pavement and the road. Many tamarind trees have either bent or toppled over, and many other trees that fell had been choked by cement,” he says.