Intro
Delayed monsoon and maintenance gaps threaten survival of thousands of newly planted saplings statewide.
CH NEWS
BENGALURU
Barely two weeks after the Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) mega plantation drive on June 27, concerns have emerged over the survival of thousands of saplings, with many already showing signs of withering at several plantation sites across the city.
A visit to plantation sites at Byalakere, Medi Agrahara and Guni Agrahara in Dr Shivaram Karanth Layout revealed numerous saplings either dried up or in poor condition. At Medi Agrahara, workers were seen watering plants using tankers, while hundreds of saplings remained unplanted along a stormwater drain near one of the plantation sites, raising questions over planning and post-plantation management.
Workers at the Byalakere site said NGOs associated with the drive were facing difficulties in arranging water tankers to keep the newly planted saplings alive amid inadequate rainfall.
Sanjay Belawal of Belawal Foundation, one of the NGO partners involved in the drive at Dr Shivaram Karanth Layout, attributed the problem largely to the delayed monsoon.
“The plantation was planned with the expectation of timely rains. No matter how much we water the plants, we cannot compete with nature. Had the monsoon arrived on schedule, the situation would have been very different,” he said.
The foundation supervised the planting of nearly 18,000 saplings over three acres and has been entrusted with maintaining them for the next three years. Belawal said the expected survival rate for such plantations is between 70 and 80 per cent. Besides providing land and saplings, the BDA has also arranged a borewell to support irrigation.
Another NGO partner, SayTrees, said it had planted more than 3.3 lakh native saplings across Dr Shivaram Karanth Layout and Banashankari 6th Stage. According to the organisation, all major plantation sites have fixed irrigation pipelines supported by dedicated borewells, while smaller locations are being watered through tankers. More than 10 gardeners have been deployed for maintenance over the next three years.
BDA Deputy Conservator of Forests G.S. Charan acknowledged that insufficient rainfall had affected the plantations and admitted there had been some lapses in maintenance.
“We are launching a dedicated monitoring portal that will be integrated with the plantation registration system to track maintenance activities. Around 60 to 80 per cent of the saplings with withered leaves can still recover with proper care. We will review their condition after a month, and those that cannot be revived will be replaced,” he said.
The condition of the plantations has highlighted the importance of sustained maintenance, timely irrigation and close monitoring to ensure the success of Bengaluru’s ambitious greening initiative.
