BENGALURU: An independent environmental impact assessment (EIA) study by Azim Premji University on widening of peripheral roads in Bengaluru reveals there will be loss of 8500 or more trees on six stretches. This report was presented as ‘new evidence’ in the Karnataka High Court on Thursday as part of Bangalore Environment Trust’s PIL on rampant felling of trees for city infrastructure projects. Although an EIA is yet to be conducted for the outer road project by Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), work on road widening has begun and trees have already been felled. As per study done by researchers Seema Mundoli, Ranjini Murali and Harini Nagendra between Feb 29-March 6, over 8,500 trees will need to be felled over a road length of 152.03 km.
Further, they say the project feasibility reports fail to provide information on the environmental impact. Seema Mundoli adds, “In the absence of any assessment, we looked at the feasibility reports to understand what kind of measures are proposed to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts. So, the assessments are based on media reports which say around 8,561 trees will be felled over 152.03 km but the ground reality, we found is more trees will be felled.”
The proposed projects include 2 to 4 lane and 4 to 6 lane at six stretches: Budigere Cross to Mylanahalli, Nelamangala to Madure, Madure to SMVIT Cross on Devanahalli Road, Kanchugaranahalli to Jigani, Banneghatta to Besthamanahalli and Besthamanahalli to Hoskote. Researchers add, “We counted the trees from Nelamangala to Madure (stretch 2), while we intensively counted trees in the section from Besthamanahalli (near Anekal) to Attibele (coming within stretch 6) and a 5km section from Bidadi to Jigani (within stretch 4). A member of Voice of Sarjapur, a civil society organisation, conducted an independent survey along a 13km section of stretch 6. We have also included this survey in our report.”
In their field survey, they found that several old and large trees have already been felled or lopped even before the project has begun, including 51 trees felled in the stretch between Kanchugaranahalli and Jigani. The actual numbers of trees that will be cut seem much higher than reported. In this stretch, they found around 1,000 trees were marked for cutting. Many heritage trees will be lost and cannot be replaced. Further, on a 15km stretch between Madure and Nelamangala, they counted 206 banyan trees including massive specimens with girths of 17.7 m and 14.9 m that will be cut.
Also 15 sacred ashwathkattes have been marked for removal. The road project will also have adverse impact on endangered wildlife in biodiversity habitats such as Anekal Reserve Forest and Junnasundra Mini Forest. Species like the endangered slender loris, palm civet and Indian jackal will be disturbed. Fourteen lakes will also be impacted, the study outlines. KRDC officials said it is still in the preliminary stages for an EIA study. The project, researchers conclude, will destroy important, essential patches of greenery which can never be compensated.