Pollution up, green cover depletes, environmentalists express concern

A day prior to the World Environment Day, environmentalists have expressed their concern over continuous depletion of the green cover and increase in pollution, plastic and e-waste.

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The depleting green cover is a cause of concern for people sensitive towards taking care of their city. Residents are worried as the city is losing its green cover, gardens are filled with concrete waste and garbage even as political establishments claim of development.

Commuters, especially cyclists and two-wheeler riders, have to bear scorching heat in the absence of shady trees along roads. Earlier, there were a large number of fully grown shady trees on the Mall Road, Court Road, GT Road and Circular Road. Most of the trees were planted during the British era. With the execution of several development projects, hundreds of trees had been axed in the last couple of years.

In the past decade, when the BRTS corridor was being constructed 858 trees were axed along the Mall Road and other lanes. As many as 368 big trees and 30 small trees located on both sides of the McLeod Road (from Aerodrome Road to GT Road) were axed to widen it. Similarly, 142 trees on the GT Road — from Bhandari Bridge to Guru Nanak Dev University — were axed for the BRTS project.

The government departments concerned do not keep any record of the trees axed on various roads but maintain data on how many saplings had been planted.

Environmentalist PS Bhatty said the holy city used to be celebrated for its lush greenery, which is evident form the records available during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, many gardens and community gardens were established and the British later undertook extensive tree planting along city roads. Streets were named after trees, such as ‘Jamnuan Wali Sadak’ and roads such as Mall Road, UBDC and GT Road were lined with native trees. Historical gardens such as Company Bagh, Gol Bagh and Sakatri Bagh are not being properly maintained. Many centuries-old trees have suffered due to neglect, while a large number get uprooted each year.

A local resident, Pankaj Seth, said burning of waste and garbage by MC staff, residents, footpath vendors and others significantly contribute to air pollution. The smoke and toxic fumes not only degrade air quality, but also cause serious health problems. The toxic air affects our breathing process, leading to issues like asthma, bronchitis, heart disease and other lung-related problems. Prolonged exposure to the polluted air weakens the immune system, making the body vulnerable to infections and chronic illnesses. That’s why it’s crucial to strictly ban single-use plastic and promote recycling and composting to ensure clean air.

Old timers recall that before the arrival of plastic bags the residents used to carry home eatables, articles and other commodities in cloth and paper bags and containers made from natural ingredients like leaves. All these objects were made from natural ingredients, which were bio-degradable.