Mumbai: With the temperatures soaring, BMC‘s civic gardens department has instructed its tree officers across civic wards to start a survey to identify dead and dangerous trees that are at the risk of falling.
Tree officers have been told to assess trees weakened by moisture loss and dried out soil owing to the recent temperature spikes, which can cause heavy branches to snap or entire trees to uproot. Trees with heavy canopies, deadwood or compromised root zones will be prioritised.
A BMC official said, “The trimming and pruning of dangerous trees need to be done immediately, and the staff on the ground has been asked to keep undertaking follow-ups until the work is completed. We have also asked the staff to take photos with date and time stamps before and after the trimming is done.” The task of removing dead or dangerous trees as well as pruning has been entrusted to private contractors appointed by the civic body.
Temperature logs showed a consistent spike from Feb 20-27, with heatwave conditions on two days. On Feb 25, Mumbai recorded its third hottest Feb day, with the mercury hitting 38.7°C.
Authorities also cautioned that ongoing trenching by utility agencies and road concretisation work have likely damaged tree roots, making them more vulnerable. There has been growing criticism of the city’s ongoing cement concrete road projects. Recently, a PIL was filed on the indiscriminate cementing of roads across Mumbai without adequate consideration for roadside trees.
Last year, before the monsoon, 1,12,728 roadside trees were tagged for trimming. There are 1,86,246 roadwide trees in the city, as per a census conducted by the civic body a few years ago.
On July 1, 2024, a scooterist, Amit Jagtap (45), was crushed to death after a portion of a large banyan tree crashed on his head in the Worli BDD chawl area. A day later, Varsha Kantilal Mistri (57), who was homeless, died after a banyan tree crashed on her at the Parel bus depot. On July 5, two vehicles were damaged in Dadar’s Kabutarkhana following a tree crash.