Tree Felling at Digholipukhuri in the Light of ‘Amrit Brikshya Andolan’

Sandipan Talukdar

Imagine the time when everyone in Guwahati were racking in the unprecedented heat waves during last half of September and the government hurriedly decides to cut down to the trees at Digholipukhuri, some of which are about a century old. In apprehension of the bleak scenario most of us would have annoyed. Well, this did not happen during that time. Nevertheless, it has come back when the weather has calmed a bit in late autumn that the age old trees will be cut for diversion of the new flyover in making from reserve bank to Noonmati. In indignation, Citizens thronged the streets today in Guwahati protesting against the proposed tree felling at Digholipukhuri.

Guwahati anyways appear to be harboring all the elements that are needed to suffocate, to enervate in scorches of heat, to be distressed due to artificial inundation, suffer a polydipsic water scarcity and what not. Diminishing green cover, exponentially growing concrete structures filling up the open spaces, rapid vanishing of the water bodies—Guwahati embodies all of these needed for miseries.

Cutting down trees has become the easiest way for the authorities for any kind of infrastructural development, be it flyover, expansion of roads or any other projects. In the time of climate change, when the entire world vows for minimizing deforestation, a plan for felling the heritage trees around Digholipukhuri is perceivably potent to make citizens agitated, that too when they feel the brunt of heat waves in their own space.

Amrit Brikshya an Alternative?

The Amrit Brikshya Andolan, a mega plantation project of Assam government since 2023 claims to have planted crores of saplings across the state. One argument may be that government has compensated the deforestation. But is that enough for satisfaction? Is not this a subject to critically examine? Let’s explore a bit of it.

Those newly planted under the Amrit Brikshya scehme are saplings; they are obviously not full grown tress like those under attack at Digholipukhuri. How many years a sapling will have to grow to give the benefits (carbon sequestration, air moisture, shade, cooling, shelter to birds and biodiversity etc) that a century old tree provides at any moment? It may be even a decade or more. Now see from the other way round—if a full grown tree is felt, then all the benefits it has been providing for ages are gone instantly. And if a considerable number of such trees are cut then the impact is easily imaginable. Even if the govt. plantation outnumbers those which are cut down for ‘development projects’, we will have to wait for decade to cultivate the full benefits.

Next point to ponder is how far we can sustain such a bleak scenario when the climate is reaching tipping points. Remember, the IPCC (Inter Governmental Penal on Climate Change), an UN body for climate change has consistently reminded that Earth’s climate is approaching the tipping points (critical level) on several aspects. Once the tipping points are crossed even by a hair’s breadth, then the prior condition will never be brought back by any means. Experts doubt even planting huge number of trees can be of any benefit then.  Also remember that IPCC in its report in 2021 termed the climate change as “Code Red for Humanity.”

Worth reiterating here is that the Climate Vulnerability Assessment of India conducted jointly by some IITs and IISC suggested 15 districts of Assam are amongst the top 25 most vulnerable districts in India due to climate change. In this context, it is pertinent to take up any economic development plan keeping in view the climate vulnerability of Assam.

Aforestation is praiseworthy, but most important is to protect the existing forests. Lavish project such as ‘Amrit Brikshya’ with an expense of crores of public money will turn out to be fatuous in the long run. The citizens of Guwahati got a poignant point to protest today at Digholipukhuri.

Swelling Traffic and Moving Bottlenecks

Guwahatians have to exasperate everyday amidst the worsening traffic situation of the city with wastage of time, money and also energy. How many times citizens of Guwahati have come across a real assessment about the carrying capacity of the city?

Let me raise certain questions. Do we know the total numbers of motor able roads of the city; the breadths of the roads and how many cars and two-wheelers can be accommodated in such roads? Do we know how many cars and two-wheelers ply on the roads of Guwahati daily? Do we know how many new vehicles come on the roads every month?

These are necessary questions to understand whether Guwahati has crossed its carrying capacity or not. Building elevated corridors obviously open up new roads to ply. But that can ease the traffic only to a certain extent and in some stretches. Can anyone imagine that the entire city has brought under elevated corridors? It is not possible either. In addition, the growing numbers of vehicles on the roads per month will make the newly constructed elevated corridors or the flyovers inefficient to tackle the traffic. See the condition at the Six mile point beneath the flyover or the conditions beneath the Ganeshguri flyover—they have turned to be moving bottlenecks now.

Coming to the question of the new flyover that has sparked the agitation centered on Digholipukhuri, we need to introspect how many people will be benefited by it? The entire stretch from Digholipukhuri to Chandmari houses huge population and many of them may not use the flyover for their daily commotion. One who starts from Digholipukhuri with destination to Noonmati will be a beneficiary, but for one who travels from Digholipukhuri to anywhere before Noonmati, the flyover is of no meaning. Do we know how many vehicles move to Noonmati from Digholipukhuri daily and how many from the same point to anywhere in between? The entire stretch is also one of the business hubs of the city. The existing road is not going to get broadened anyways. I doubt anyone has a real assessment of the benefits, but cutting the trees around Digholipukhuri will be a real loss for sure.

Also Read: Repeated Internet Blockade: An Infringement to Fundamental Right?