If all goes as per the plans of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara
Palike (BBMP), citizens of Bengaluru may have an accurate picture of the
green cover in the city. After a delay of over three years, the civic
body is finally preparing to conduct the first tree survey of Bengaluru.

As
of now, there is no estimate of the number of trees in the city. With
incessant, unauthorised felling of trees and loss of trees during
monsoons, there has been a demand for a tree census from various
quarters.

The decision to take up such a survey was taken in 2015
with the palike setting aside Rs. 4 crore for the same. However, there
were several hiccups and the project never took off. Now, BBMP officials
hope to make progress with the survey before the end of this year. The
civic agency has already conducted one meeting with experts and will be
holding another with the Forest Department in the next week, officials
said.

Cholarajappa, DCFO, BBMP, said, “During monsoon, we see a
lot of trees and branches falling. We are planning to identify trees
that are diseased, or likely to fall, posing a risk to life and
property. Every year, we are losing trees and, hence, we want to start
the process immediately. We want to come up with a ready reckoner for
trees in the city.”

Environmentalists like Vijay Nishant said it
was ‘high time’ that the survey is conducted. However, staff shortage
would be a constraint, he said, urging officials to tie up with
activists willing to take part in the survey to overcome this problem.
He added that the civic body also needs to set up a tree committee,
which has been in the pipeline for three years.

Harini Nagendra,
Professor of Sustainability, Azim Premji University, said the BBMP can
also rope in students for the census. “A tree survey is essential to
take up any action for conservation. It would be ideal if the BBMP can
involve multiple groups. It should be done in such a way that it
involves local communities. For instance, local schools or colleges can
be involved. The students will have a stake in the area,” she said.