Malabar Hill water reservoir: 389 trees to be affected, 9,494 years cumulative age, 35 years average age of trees to be cut
Cumulative age of trees refers to the sum total of the age of all the trees, in this case that are to be axed or transplanted.
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The reservoir is located at a hillock just beneath the Hanging Gardens and its capacity is around 150 Million Litres Per Day (MLD). (Express File Photo) The cumulative age of 389 trees that are supposed to be affected for building a new water reservoir at Malabar Hill is more than 9,400 years, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data.
Built in 1887, the existing Malabar Hill water reservoir is one of the first artificial water reservoirs constructed to meet the day-to-day water needs of the city. The reservoir is located at a hillock just beneath the Hanging Gardens and its capacity is around 150 Million Litres Per Day (MLD). With the new reservoir, BMC plans to increase its capacity to 190 MLD.
Cumulative age of trees refers to the sum total of the age of all the trees, in this case that are to be axed or transplanted. According to BMC data, the cumulative age of all 389 trees is 9,494 years, which makes the average age of each tree around 24 years. Of the 389 trees, 178 trees will be cut while 200 others will be transplanted. Besides, 11 dead trees will be removed.
The average age of each tree that is going to be cut stands at 35 years, with their cumulative age standing at 6,366 years, while the average age of each tree that is going to be transplanted stands at 15 years.
The information was given by the civic body in response to an RTI application filed by activist Zoru Bhathena. “BMC’s plan to strip Malabar Hill of 9,494 years of tree cover best explains the issue we are fighting to protect. This ecological loss is something that no engineer can ever replicate,” Bhathena told The Sunday Express.
Meanwhile, experts said the authorities need to work on transplantation methodologies before going ahead with chopping such a large number of trees. Dilip Shenai, an ecologist and horticulturist, said, “Cutting down so many trees whose average age stands close to 35 years is not recommended at all, since this will create a serious imbalance in the existing ecology. In Mumbai there is a shortfall of trees. On an average, for every person to survive eight trees are required while in Mumbai, at least 25 persons are dependent on one tree.”
“The local administration also needs to study and assess its transplantation methodologies because the current model they follow grants a survival rate of only 20 per cent, while the transplantation methodology followed by countries like Japan guarantees a survival rate of 80 per cent. We can take their example and implement it in our own way,” Shenai said.
Following the intervention of Guardian Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, who is also the local legislator, civic officials have removed the notices to cut the trees. A civic official from the Water Supply Project (WSP) department said at present the plan has been kept on hold and if any alternate place is suggested the project could be relocated provided the new site passes all the required engineering tests.
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