On Killing A Tree - The Chevella Banyans

A Chevella Banyan

I first read Gieve Patel’s poem, On Killing a Tree, over 45 years ago. It was part of my final year school syllabus. This is one poem which has not stopped haunting me ever since.

On Killing a Tree by Gieve Patel

It takes much time to kill a tree,

Not a simple jab of the knife
Will do it. It has grown
Slowly consuming the earth,
Rising out of it, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing
Years of sunlight, air, water,
And out of its leperous hide
Sprouting leaves.

So hack and chop
But this alone wont do it.
Not so much pain will do it.
The bleeding bark will heal
And from close to the ground
Will rise curled green twigs,
Miniature boughs
Which if unchecked will expand again
To former size.

No,
The root is to be pulled out -
Out of the anchoring earth;
It is to be roped, tied,
And pulled out - snapped out
Or pulled out entirely,
Out from the earth-cave,
And the strength of the tree exposed,
The source, white and wet,
The most sensitive, hidden
For years inside the earth.

Then the matter
Of scorching and choking
In sun and air,
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done.

A few days ago, I attended a meeting of enthusiasts who have organised themselves under the banner of “Save the Banyans of Chevella” in an attempt to protect thousands of gorgeous trees - especially old and mature banyans - marked to be axed for road widening on the Hyderabad-Chevella-Bijapur highway in Telangana, India. To know more about this effort, visit their blog. 

The meeting at Lamakaan.

These are a set of huge and magnificent trees, planted more than a 100 years ago of which only around 900 still survive. In the name of “development”, the proposal is to cut down these trees and widen the highway, which would reduce travelling time and scope of accidents. In addition, the land prices along the road are increasing exponentially, in view of its easy connectivity with the upcoming parts of Hyderabad. This in turn gives substantial tangible benefits to those owning land in these areas, apart from real estate developers and politicians who are salivating at the prospect of making a kill.

One of the magnificent Chevella Banyans.

On the other hand, saving these trees is considered critical and essential due to a variety of reasons – and that is what these volunteers are fighting for. As we all know trees provide a huge number of benefits, and without trees survival of the human race itself would impossible. They provide shade, help to bring down local temperatures, maintain climate, attract rain clouds, nurture a whole ecosystem of insects, birds, and other animals again whose survival is essential for maintaining ecological balance and in turn our own survival.

Professor T M Das of the University of Calcutta has estimated the monetary worth of a single adult tree as at much as Rs.1.25 crores after factoring in the numerous benefits silently bestowed on us by trees. These include the contribution of trees in generating oxygen, controlling pollution, increasing soil fertility, providing shelter to human and animals, and acting as giant sponges in absorbing rain water and enabling their slow percolation into the underground aquifers.  

A signboard at KBR Park, Hyderabad.

The Save Chevella Banyans project is a great example of how private citizens with very limited means, juggling families and work, have come together to take on the might of entrenched political and economic forces, who in their short-term perspective are bent on destroying our collective heritage. The ask of the volunteers was simple – please change the alignment of the road so that these trees do not have to cut down.

One of the arguments put forward by the NHAI was that they would arrange to transplant these trees. At best this is an extremely specious argument for a number of reasons. First, these are huge fully grown trees and translocating them is remotely not an easy task. Second, translocation of fully grown trees involves cutting down most of the branches and leaves, so that water loss due to respiration is reduced to the minimum while the translocated tree adjusts to its new home. This at one shot annihilates all the life which is being supported in those branches – insects, birds, small animals etc. Third, translocation of trees involves cutting off most of the roots. The roots are underground and so we do not see them, but they are roughly of the same size and depth as the part of the tree which is above the ground. It is impossible to save the roots, especially the thin sensitive ends through which the trees draw water and minerals for its sustenance. What is left is the root ball which is normally insufficient to really ensure survival of the tree. To remedy which artificial hormones are injected into the tree. Inspite of all such measures, the long-term survival percentage noticed in translocated trees are barely into lower end of two digits.

The first hurdle was that there seems to be no specific laws which prevent the cutting down of trees for road widening. For building up their case, the volunteers geo-tagged each and every of the Chevella Banyans. Then the volunteers appealed to the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal Bench, who - surprise of surprises, heard them out and directed NHAI to complete a detailed and ‘special’ study (Environmental Impact Assessment) to find alternative means to ensure that the 750 Banyans are safe and sound. The order does not support any uprooting or cutting of these trees until such a report is submitted to the tribunal at the earliest. The 700-odd Banyans mentioned in the order are the trees that will be impacted by the road-widening; there are another 200 trees that are unaffected as the present alignment does not reach them.

The status today is that NHAI has done some kind of EAI and is now proceeding with the road widening project which includes cutting down most of these magnificent trees. The meet which I referred to in the beginning of this blog was to generate ideas on how to prevent such destructive action

Nearly all of us react much more strongly to things and events which affect our immediate environs or which appeal to us emotionally. As such, sustaining human interest on Chevella Banyans is difficult, even if the issue is extremely important. Few Hyderabadis travel on that road and as such have little emotional attachment to them. To build public interest, instead of focusing only on the Chevella Banyans, if the interest of the group was on saving trees and the messaging was directed on the importance of doing so, it would bring much more public participation.

The flip side would be that the focus of attention on the Chevella Banyans might get diluted or even lost. To remedy which, the Save the Chevella Banyans group should consider to change its name and identity to something like Friends of Trees / Tarun Mitra for bringing awareness of the important of trees. It could promote tree planting / maintenance, but simultaneously an identified core group should be tasked for concentrating on saving the Chevella Banyan project.

Be what may be – savings the Chevella Banyans is an issue worth fighting for.