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NMMC Launches Navi Mumbai Drive to Protect Existing Trees
Navi Mumbai’s civic body has started a special project to keep trees safer.
Workers will remove hard surfaces around tree trunks.
Each tree should have an open space where its roots can receive air and rainwater.
Bigger trees will get larger open spaces.
The ground around each pit will be shaped so rain flows toward the roots.
Experts said concrete, damaged roots and incorrect pruning can make trees more likely to fall.
New roads will also need to include trees according to set rules.
Officials say permission will be needed before trees are damaged, cut down or moved.
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has launched a citywide drive to protect existing trees and reduce monsoon-related tree failures.
Concrete, asphalt and paver blocks will be removed around trees to improve access to air, soil and rainwater.
Tree pits must provide at least one metre of open space, or 1.5 metres for larger trees, with soil six inches below ground level.
Experts identified excessive concreting, root damage, inadequate sunlight, improper pruning and unsuitable species as major causes of tree falls.
Road projects must follow plantation norms, while excavation, pruning, felling and transplantation will require specified supervision or approvals.
- Who
- The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, led by Municipal Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde, is implementing the drive.
- What
- A citywide tree-protection drive will create open pits around trees, regulate road plantations and control work near trees.
- Where
- Across Navi Mumbai, including roads, footpaths, medians and development sites.
- When
- The drive was announced on September 2; the article does not specify a year.
- Why
- To improve conditions for tree roots, preserve the city’s tree cover and reduce trees being uprooted during heavy rain and strong winds.
Key facts
- Minimum tree pit
- One metre of open space around each tree.
- Large tree pit
- At least 1.5 metres wide.
- Pit soil level
- Six inches below the surrounding surface.
- Road plantation rule
- Roads 24 metres or wider require one tree every 10 metres.
- Roads 12–24 metres wide
- One tree every 10 metres on both sides.
- Roads 6–12 metres wide
- One tree every 20 metres.
- Legal warning
- Unauthorised tree felling or damage may lead to action under Section 21(1) of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Tree Protection and Conservation Act, 1975.
Quotes
Dr Kailas Shinde
Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner
“Protecting Navi Mumbai’s existing tree cover requires changes in the way roads, footpaths and development works are planned. We must ensure that tree roots have adequate space for soil, air and water, while pruning and excavation near trees are carried out scientifically.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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